Centon Series: Behind Blue Eyes
by Willa B. Alone
Summary: Randy Orton is working undercover against a mobster & adult night club owner named Samoa Joe. As Randy plots to take Joe down, his intentions are hindered when Joe introduces a group of young virgin male dancers to the club & Randy falls for a naive dancer named John Cena. With Cena being Joe's favorite new accessory, Randy knows that if he takes Joe down, John will go with him.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is a re-post of a 2010 Centon collaboration that I will be editing to feature some new and extended scenes. The original idea for this story was contributed by user Cenaholic, while all writing and editing for the story has been and is being done by me. It is based on an alternate universe setting and rated Mature for content, including language, intense violence and sexual situations of both a m/m and m/f perspective. If you remember this story, I'd love it if you reviewed it again so that I can be reminded of the several hundred reviews that it initially had in its first run. If you are new to this story, please contribute fresh reviews! It would be remarkable to see this story reach and hopefully surpass its former glory.

I don't claim to own any rights to WWE or its affiliates. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

1:

_I woke up to the sound of ringing. It took me a few seconds to realize it was the motel phone that was ringing, and not my head. I sat up and answered it, thinking it was just the front desk since no one was supposed to know I was here._

"Lieutenant Randy? Are you there?" Kelly's voice asked weakly from the other line.

I made a loud and frustrated sigh through the phone and stated darkly, "Kelly, I've told you not to call me, much less mention my rank. It's dangerous."

_The reason it was so dangerous was because I was undercover. I had been working a case for the last four years involving a drug dealer and club owner known on the streets as Samoa Joe. I had done everything to cover my tracks as a lawman so I could pass as a bouncer at Joe's most frequented club, but Kelly was a rogue cop who had inside sources, and although I was grateful for her help, I worried for her safety. _

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's so important, it couldn't wait," Kelly informed me.

"Alright, let's have it," I listened intently.

Kelly took in a big breath of air and explained, "I have a source that says Samoa Joe is hiring a string of male prostitutes for his highest paying clients."

"Male prostitutes? Joe's only had female strippers since he started his club a dozen years ago," I pointed out.

Kelly responded, "I know, but my source says that Joe's higher-ups are paying him handsomely for some more exotic changes. The plan is to make the show run like a strip club during the day, then convert it into a gay hangout at night, but it won't be just any show. He's paying top dollar and personally choosing the males he wants in this night show."

"Is he choosing locals? There are male prostitutes all over this city," I said.

Kelly quickly countered, "My source says Joe isn't looking for any prostitutes he can find. He's looking for men from all over the world who can't be traced, and even more interesting is that he's choosing what the streets call 'Boy Virgins,' meaning gay men who are completely clean and have never had contact with other men before."

"'Boy Virgins?' That must mean he's looking for younger men, maybe underage," I assessed out loud.

"No, Joe is pulling all the legal stops this time. He's looking for men who are legal. They'll have all their paperwork and back-stories. Some are even using their real names," Kelly stated.

I shook my head in disbelief and said, "I haven't been told a word of this. When are these men supposed to show up?"

"Tomorrow night, at least that's what my source said," Kelly replied.

She paused before adding, "This is big, sir. Really big. Joe's highest paying clients will all be at his place at the same time, and you'll be right in the middle of it."

"You're right, this is big, but don't get carried away just yet. It sounds like Joe's not being sloppy about this and he knows he's being watched. We'll catch him eventually, but it'll probably be later rather than sooner," I said.

"Sir?" Kelly asked quietly.

"I will," I said, hanging up the phone before she could tell me to be careful.

* * *

_I've been a cop for the better part of a decade. My partner for half of that decade was Adam Copeland. We were not only partners at work, but at home. The rest of the precinct had no idea, but Adam and I were deeply in love with each other, and the things that I shared with him were things I never shared with anyone else. _

_We both became detectives at the same time, and I was handed the case of Samoa Joe. He was a street thug at that point, but he was moving very quickly up the ladder and he was eliminating everyone in his path. He was completely fearless, taking out men twice his age with three times the manpower and four times the ammo. Adam started helping me with the case when we linked several of his unsolved murder cases to Joe. Somehow, Joe was taking out the competition and anyone else he didn't like, but leaving almost no trace of his crimes. The guy was a criminal genius. All lawmen fear this type, but they're so extremely rare, most never cross paths with them. _

_While I was the intellectual one who methodically plotted ways to catch Joe, Adam wanted to find Joe and take him down on the spot. One night, I was working late and Adam got a tip-off about something that would put Joe away for life. He took off after Joe without my knowing, and Adam was killed in a shoot-out with Joe's bodyguards. Ironically, Joe wasn't even there. He was vacationing in Barbados and I could've told Adam that if I had known. If I had only known. _

_Adam's death didn't stop me from pursuing Joe. I made rank of Lieutenant, but I couldn't let go of the case. I had to pull a ton of strings to get undercover, and getting into Joe's elite was a process that involved excruciating tests and putting the body and mind at its limits, but I survived. I had some scar tissue between my belly button and groin from a chemical burn that Joe administered to me himself to test my pain threshold, but I considered myself lucky after I found out most guys didn't live through the testing process. _

_Joe doesn't know that I'm a cop, and I took all the possible measures to make sure he'd never find out. I even had my social security card changed and all of my online records altered so he could check up on me and my family without ever finding a clue to my real status. He made me a bouncer at his club, a position that I shared with only one other guy: a hulk of a dude named Dave Bautista. _

"So, what do you think about all these changes happenin' tonight?" Bautista leaned in closely to ask me through the booming club music.

_We were standing at the main entrance while the girls danced on-stage and Joe sat at his usual booth in the center of the room. It was late and the place was dying down. We only had a few minutes left before the 'Boy Virgins' came out and the club had its first change in the five years that I had been working there._

"I don't get it. I mean, I thought the girls were making us plenty of money," I pointed out.

Bautista snorted and replied with a shake of his head, "I don't wanna watch a bunch of faggots prancing around like fairies."

I glared at him and asked darkly, "You have a thing against fags, Dave?"

He shrugged passively and answered, "I don't have a thing, I just don't want 'em all over me!"

I scoffed and stated, "So you're one of those who thinks that gay men are on sexual overdrive and hump everyone and everything that moves."

Dave folded his arms and countered, "I do not! I'm not a fag-basher! I'm just into chicks, that's all!"

"Biased little bastard," I retorted.

Dave cocked a half-smile and replied, "Don't you use those weird college words with me, Viper. You know how much I hate it when you make yourself sound smarter than me."

_I shrugged it off and we went back to watching the girls. I knew that I was ten times smarter than Dave at just about everything, but I ignored my urge to rub it in his face because Dave was the type who may not be able to read your name-tag, but he would rip your tongue out and shoot you in the face for not putting a toy in his Happy Meal. _

_The song ended and the music died down for good. The last of the club's stragglers filed their way out the door as soon as Joe waved his hand for them to leave. Bautista and I were waiting to make sure they did all leave, but I knew there wouldn't be trouble because nobody ever crossed Joe. _

_The girls carefully got down from the stage to make room for the new clients. We had about seven girls on a good night, but this was a slow weeknight, so it was just the Bella Twins. I knew all the girls' real names and backgrounds, because I had been there so long, they trusted me and they appreciated the fact that I watched them with a protective gaze and I didn't objectify them. I could still be pleased by the bodies of beautiful girls, but I had seen so many naked girls on a nightly basis for so many years, it hardly registered anymore. In fact, it had become such a natural thing for me, I found it odd when I talked to girls who had clothes on. _

_I was well liked by the girls because I didn't stare at them with my tongue hanging out, but I couldn't say the same about Bautista._

"Hey, Nikki! Brie! Come over here for a second, I wanna talk to ya!" he beckoned for them.

They both took off the other way and quickly disappeared backstage. Bautista let his shoulders drop in defeat and asked, "Why don't they ever wanna come talk to me?"

"'Cause you can't keep your hands to yourself," I pointed out.

He looked at his hands and looked back at me like my statement made no sense to him at all. I shook my head and told him, "You're a bad, bad man, Dave."

_We didn't use each other's real names unless there were no clients around. At the moment, there weren't any, but I knew the top-dollar bosses would be coming in soon, and although we used our stage names around them as well, I knew that they had all the files on us that Joe had, and they probably had our fingerprints on file as well. These guys didn't mess around._

"Hey, check it out," Dave nodded at the stage.

_Several guys came out from behind the curtain. They were all in jeans and drizzled with glitter that sparkled across their chests and faces. The spotlights on the stage reflected off of the glitter and made the guys appear like a bunch of fairies, exactly what Bautista didn't want to see. I glanced curiously at the faces of the guys in the group, but nobody seemed particularly remarkable...until I saw HIM._

_A boy. No, a young man. Probably nineteen, twenty-one at most. I noticed him as soon as he came out because he was the only blue-eyed, blonde haired baby face in the group of otherwise foreign or plain boys. His muscle definition stood out more than the others as well, and I assumed he was probably a wannabe body builder. He probably came to Los Angeles looking for competition and discovered how hard it was, so he took this job to make ends meet and pay bills until he got his big break. _

_Poor kid. He had no idea what was coming to him. _

_A big Russian guy came out next, and the boy stayed close to him. The Russian guy looked like he was speaking to the boy in his native tongue, and surprisingly, the boy seemed to understand him. I watched as they worked together setting up props and speakers on the stage. The Russian guy would pick up huge pieces like they weighed nothing, and the boy would try to help him, but he wasn't doing much good, so after a while, he just stood aside and listened to the Russian guy while the Russian guy moved everything._

I walked over to Joe and he asked me with a cocky grin, "What do you think about the new setup, Randy?"

I shrugged and replied, "Looks...sparkly."

Joe laughed out loud, startling the blonde boy on-stage. Joe didn't notice as he asked me, "Be sure and keep the walk-ins outta the cookie jar, eh?"

_That was code for: we only want our rich, privileged clients near the boys. Anyone without VIP access would be given the kind of treatment that made them believe they had power, but I could take their power away if they crossed certain lines. _

"No problem," I stated.

_Clients started coming in, and within the hour, we were booming like a regular night, but with boys dancing all over the stage. The Russian guy had even put up a couple of cages on a ledge a few feet from the stage. The blonde boy had gotten into one of the cages and he was visibly nervous when he first started dancing, but the Russian guy kept trying to give him little pointers and he finally started to get the idea. _

_I kept my eyes on the blonde one the most, because my instincts told me he would be the biggest target. The VIP clients were observing him from afar, but the douche bags with a false sense of power were becoming more and more curious and inching their way closer and closer to the stage, and I knew it was only a matter of time before one of them tried to reach for Blondie._

_Sure enough, a bottom feeder got close to the blonde boy's cage and the boy unknowingly crouched down to politely greet his first customer. I watched them exchange words while the douche's body became more and more tense from heightened arousal, then he reached into the cage to touch the boy and the boy registered fear, but wouldn't pull away because he didn't know how he was supposed to react. _

_I easily worked my way through the crowd. Having double-jointed shoulders meant I could get through some of the smallest spaces between people just by rotating my arms and shifting my body at an angle that most had to strain to achieve. I got to the cage and pulled the douche bag by his collar away from the boy, and of course, douche bag got angry._

"What the hell do you think you're doin'? I'm a paying client!" he yelled defiantly.

_I folded my arms and glared at him. He started for me, putting his arm back like he might make a fight out of this, but all I had to do was make a fist in the correct way and do a half-punch in the air to make the guy stumble back in fear. He put his hands up in defeat and took off out the door of the club. In any other setting, people would've stopped to stare. In a club like this, public violence didn't get so much as a passing glance. _

"You alright?" I turned back to face the blonde boy.

"Yeah, uh...thanks," he smiled broadly, showing a couple of dimples.

I leaned in closely and told him, "You don't have to put up with bullshit from most of these guys. The overpriced suits with a couple grand cash in their hands are the high rollers. You'll wanna let them do whatever they ask, but the cheap suits or the guys with the wrinkled wads of cash don't matter. They come near you, and you nod to me or Bautista over there, and we'll take 'em out."

Blondie nodded and leaned in even closer to ask, "What about the overpriced suits? How far do I let them go?"

I explained easily, "Most of them just want their ego stroked. Act like you're interested when they come up and talk to you, make a big deal about their money, and if they ask you to go to the private rooms in the back, you go with them."

Blondie swallowed and asked, "What happens in the back rooms?"

I chuckled and replied, "It's not so bad. High rollers mostly look but don't touch. They might ask for a lap dance, hundred bucks if they want a striptease. Blow jobs are four hundred and they have to wear a condom 'cause we don't want anyone getting mouth herpes or some shit."

Blondie swallowed hard again. I shook my head at him and said, "Seriously, no need to worry. High rollers are pre-Jacks, anyway."

"What?" he asked me, confused.

"It means they cum too fast. Most of 'em get too hot from the lap dance and they're done before you can even show 'em your underwear!"

Blondie laughed and I went on, "I've been here five years. We run a clean place and we make sure everyone gets paid big for the shit they do because it keeps business running smoothly. All you need to do is dance around and look sexy and these guys will be happy."

"What about sex?" Blondie asked.

I shook my head and told him, "We have a strict rule about no sex in the club, but someone still might ask you. If they do, you tell them they'll have to work out something with Joe. If you're willing to do it, Joe will be fair about it and set up an appointment outside of work."

"Got it, thanks," he nodded.

"One more thing, kid: if any of these guys get violent, you get away from them and you come to me. Hospital bills for that shit come out of everyone's paycheck and we won't stand for it," I stated.

_That wasn't entirely true. Joe usually got rid of battered employees and replaced them with a fresh face, but I didn't wanna see that happen to Blondie. _

"Okay, thanks. I really mean it," he smiled at me again.

"No problem. Keep up the dancing," I twirled my finger at him.

_He nodded and stood up to groove some more. I went back to my post and watched Blondie for a few more hours until the clients started to leave and the douche bags filed out. Bautista always left by 3AM to get home to his girlfriend and their new baby. His girlfriend was a sweet little Latina woman who spoke little English and had no clue her husband was a bouncer for a strip club. As far as she was concerned, he worked security for a nearby mall. _

_What Bautista didn't know was that, after he left, I took over as Joe's assistant. I counted our earnings with Joe every night and I was usually the one to lock up and put the money in Joe's huge safe in the back room. That's how much Joe trusted me. If Bautista found out, he'd probably kill me in a jealous rage. _

"How much, Randy?" Joe nodded at me after we had been counting a while.

_The boys were taking down props on the stage, and Blondie was nearby working with the lights. I knew he was listening to us, but I pretended not to notice. _

"About half a mil," I stated.

_Joe sat back and breathed a huge sigh of amazement. Blondie's eyes widened as well, but Joe thankfully didn't notice._

"Dat's only our first night, bro. I didn't see the real high rollers yet. They'll prob' come on weekends," Joe surmised.

I nodded and told him, "You picked a good bunch of guys. The clients showed a lot of interest."

Joe laughed out loud and replied, "I pick 'em myself."

"You did good," I nodded, and he laughed again.

_Joe's wife came around to face us with a hand over her very pregnant belly. Her name was Eve Torres and she was gorgeous, but she was also one of my biggest threats for two reasons: she loved to overspend her husband's money, and she loved to picture me whenever she had sex with her husband. At least, that's what she's told me...several thousand uncomfortable times. _

"Joe, you've got a client waiting outside," she pointed back toward the door.

"Who's it?" Joe asked.

Eve played dumb and replied, "I don't know, baby, they all look the same to me."

Joe huffed and got up, but told me before he left, "Watch the door."

I nodded. As soon as Joe was outside, Eve stepped way too close to me and asked coyly, "Mind if I sit down next to you? My feet are so swollen."

"Sure," I said, trying to keep my focus between the door and the club money.

_Eve took her time sitting down, acting like she was just trying to be careful for her baby, but I knew that she was really trying to leave as little space between us as possible, and if I didn't like it, she'd make an excuse about being too fat from pregnancy to measure the gap difference. _

"So, how much did we make tonight?" she asked after her ass was about halfway on my right leg.

"About a hundred grand," I lied.

_Blondie was still sitting nearby and his brow furrowed in confusion. He obviously had no clue how untrustworthy Eve was._

"Oh, well that's not much at all," Eve frowned.

"It was our first night. It'll pick up later, I'm sure," I surmised with a short smile.

_Eve misread my smile as a sign I was flirting with her. I swore I could take a dump on her face and she'd think it were my asshole signifying we were meant to be. _

Leaning in as close to me as possible without ramming her nose into my cheek, Eve asked me sweetly, "Would you make sure we get more money? I saw a fur coat today that is just a little above our budget and I'm hoping for an early birthday present!"

_It was August. Her birthday was in January. _

"I'll get right on that," I nodded.

_Eve squealed with joy and I thought she might try to kiss me and play it off as an act of excitement, but Joe came back in and she quickly got up to greet him again. _

"Can we go home now, baby? I recorded a Full House marathon for us!" Eve smiled with anticipation.

Joe fake smiled like he was excited and they got ready to leave. Joe grabbed a small wad of cash from the table and pulled out a couple hundreds, then he went over to Blondie and handed it to him, saying kindly, "Good job, today, J.C. My high rollers were lovin' you."

Blondie, now known as J.C., smiled warmly as he pocketed the cash and said, "Thank you, sir, and thank you for the opportunity!"

_I was surprised that he would call this an opportunity, but it was a smart move when talking to Joe. _

"No problem. You keep it up, yeah?" Joe said.

"Certainly," replied J.C.

Joe took Eve's hand to leave and nodded at me, saying, "Lock up tight, tonight. Changes mean curious eyes an' all."

I nodded that I understood, then he added, "I change the code on the safe. First three of Bautista's social."

"Alright," I said.

_Joe and Eve left and I stood up to gather the money. I put most of it in Joe's bag, then divided the rest and paid the guys what they were owed for the night, then saved the rest to give to the girls later, since they had gone home for the night. _

I wasn't surprised when all the guys left except for J.C. He stayed after to talk to me, acting like the new kid who had just found his first friend. He watched me put the rest of the money away as he asked, "I noticed that you get called a lot of names. Keith Viper when you're working, and Randy when you're not. Is Randy your real name?"

"Yeah. Keith is my name, too, but it's my middle name, and my last name is Orton. We don't give out our real names when clients are around 'cause it's too dangerous. Bautista came up with Viper. He says I have this wicked stare when I'm pissed or something," I shrugged it off.

"So, do you like being called Keith, or Randy?" he asked.

"Randy. Not Randal, by the way," I pointed out.

He nodded and I asked, "Could I ask what your real name is?"

"My initials really are J.C. My name is John, but I thought it was kinda lame, being a 'John' named John."

I chuckled and replied, "I wouldn't have thought of that."

He smiled, too and explained, "I like being called John, but with the danger and all, Joe just said I should go with J.C."

I nodded and started for the hallway with Joe's money. John followed me, explaining as we walked, "You probably think I'm a sicko or something for picking this job, but I have a good reason."

"Yeah? What's that," I asked curiously.

"Well, I mean, it's nothing cool, like going to college or raising a family, but I'm into body building right now and I need some extra cash so I can hit the amateur circuits in the evening. See, I'm gonna be a wrestler for the WWF someday."

I frowned a little and replied, "Oh."

"You don't think I can do it, can you?" he sounded tense.

"No, it's not that, it's just interesting 'cause my dad was a wrestler," I said.

John's mouth almost dropped to the floor as he shouted excitedly, "You're Cowboy Bob Orton's son?!"

"One of them, yeah," I made a sort of shout-out to my little brother.

"That is fuckin' awesome! I mean, he's a legend!" John shrieked.

"So I've heard," I said, opening the door to Joe's back room.

We walked in and I set the bag down. I went to the safe and John stood behind me as he asked, "Does Bob...I mean uh...Mr. Orton...does he talk about what it was like? How hard it is to be a wrestler?"

I punched in the code, opened the safe and put the bag of money in as I answered, "All I know is he was gone a lot, and when he'd come home, he'd be exhausted and sore as hell, but he never complained and he always made time for us when he was around."

I closed the safe and asked before looking back at John, "Anything else you wanna ask?"

_Once I saw the look on his face, I realized I had made a huge and potentially fatal mistake. I had not only let John into Joe's private office with me, but his expression told me that he had seen the code I punched in, and he was already aware of how much money was in the bag. _

_John had no chance of getting away with stealing the money, but I hadn't been with him long enough to determine his level of stupidity. If he tried, he'd be brutally tortured and killed, but so would I, because only Joe and I knew the code, and John's mistakes would come back on me._

Instead of calling him on it, though, I took a more tactful approach, asking John, "You know, if you keep at it, you could make enough money in this place to buy your own company and wrestle for yourself."

John's expression changed and he tried awkwardly to pretend like he hadn't seen a thing, telling me quickly, "Yeah, I could do that, but I really wanna be with the WWF."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know, I guess I just want people to think of my name when they think about Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant and The Rock and Steve Austin," he surmised with a warm smile.

I nodded and John added hopefully, "Joe says he knows a lot of guys on the inside! He says he could get me a contract easy as long as I work for him for a while."

_I knew Joe too well. His words were almost always code for something completely different. He probably had plenty of contacts on the inside. He probably knew Hulk Hogan's home number and emailed Vince McMahon on a regular basis. Joe could have John signed into the WWF faster than Stone Cold putting the Stunner on Bret Hart, but the dream of a boy is an easy source of manipulation for a man of higher power, and as long as Joe could keep John on his toes with empty promises, John would never see the lights of a wrestling ring._

"It's good that you have goals. You should keep it up and work hard. Joe likes guys he can completely trust, and if you build trust with him, you're set for life," I said.

John seemed to catch my drift. He smiled and replied, "He can totally trust me."

"I truly hope so," I said seriously.


	2. Chapter 2

2:

_Over the next few nights, word got around about our new night theme and the club was getting more and more clients. We were raking in a quarter million easy, and our star attraction was J.C. _

_I couldn't stop thinking about John. I found myself wondering about him when I was lying in bed at the motel or getting my morning coffee or browsing the streets during the day. _

_He told me he was rooming with the Russian dancer who called himself Koslov. I wondered exactly where they were rooming, and whenever I saw an apartment complex, I would take a good look to see if I'd spot John taking out the trash or walking across the parking lot._

_He told me his favorite food was pizza. I found myself passing pizza places on a regular basis and glancing through the windows in hopes of seeing John._

_He told me he liked to shop at Old Navy. I had never been in an Old Navy before, but now I was shopping in them daily._

_My thoughts about John were so frequent, I found myself anticipating seeing him, again. So far, none of our clients had asked him to go to the private rooms in back, so I was able to watch John all the time when he was at the club, and he became a sort of constant to me._

_I hadn't anticipated seeing someone this much since my days with Adam. _

_John's feelings about me were not so easy to read. He distanced himself from everyone to a certain level, including me. I was trained to identify things people tried to hide, but with John, it was like he wasn't trying to hide himself, he just didn't want to be hurt. It made me wonder who hurt him. _

_It had only been a few nights, but so far, John hadn't said a word about seeing the code on Joe's safe, and he hadn't attempted to take the money, either. I wasn't completely sure if John were trustworthy or not, but for the time being, he had done nothing to raise any red flags with me. Even Joe only had praiseworthy things to say about John. The one person that didn't appreciate John was Bautista, but that was because he was jealous of the attention John was getting and I still thought that Bautista was a secret gay basher. _

"I wanna do a new dance, tonight, fellas," Joe told us while we were setting up for Friday night.

_Our weekends were always busy, but with the rise in clients and our first weekend with the new theme, we were expecting some big money, and Joe wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to make even more. _

The dancers lined up on the stage and Joe explained, "Have the big fellas behind the little ones."

_I noticed the dancers partnered up fairly easily, like they already had their friends picked out. Koslov went behind John and he smiled confidently. _

"I want the big fellas to put their arms 'round the little fellas. I wanna see dancing like sexy, but the arms 'round, like the little ones are exposed an big ones wanna shield 'em but not too much," Joe relayed.

_The big guys tried to cover their partners while they danced, but it was looking more desperate than sexy._

"No, no, just a little shield, like ya wanna hide 'em but it's still seen," Joe tried to explain.

_It was obvious the guys weren't getting it. The big ones were trying to hold onto the little ones and it looked like a scene out of a mass kidnapping film. _

"Randy, you gettup there an' show 'em how it's done," Joe ordered me.

I nodded and climbed up to the stage. I politely motioned for Koslov to move aside, then I stood behind John. I inched my way closer to him until I could feel his body pressing against mine. I placed my fingertips on his hips, and I could feel the light sweat from his warm, shirtless skin. He smelled like a sporty cologne and I could see from this angle that his jeans were a size too small to accent his rather large ass.

I pulled him just a little closer and he let out a slight gasp. I wasn't sure why he did it, but I ignored it and explained to the others, "You gotta get real close. The clients will be looking up at you at an angle, so this way, it looks like you're about to have sex."

The other dancers chuckled and Joe grinned broadly, but John was still a little tense. I slowly placed my left hand over his six pack and my right hand over the right side of his chest. I moved both hands slowly along his body as I explained to the others, "You're making it look like you want your partner to yourself, but you keep moving your hands over him like you're still letting the audience get a peek at him. It makes them think they're getting glimpses of something they shouldn't be seeing, and that will peak their interest."

_I felt a sudden twinge of pain in my crotch and I realized why John was acting so tense. Touching him was making me hard, and if I didn't get away from him now, I was going to be very noticeable to everyone around us._

"That's all there is to it," I stepped aside and let Koslov take over.

_John glanced at me curiously, but said nothing. I took off for the bathroom and didn't dare look back._

* * *

_The club was packed. Clients from all over the world had come for the weekend to see the new theme. The new routine Joe came up with was working like a charm, and money was being passed around and making everyone as high as drugs._

_I wasn't enjoying any of it, though. _

_The reason was because I knew that John would be asked to a private room, tonight. It was __inevitable that he would be picked out by a client, but what mattered to me was WHICH client. I knew most of the high rollers in the joint, but that didn't mean they were trustworthy, and there were even more I didn't recognize. I tried to keep a lookout on John so I could warn him about what to expect from a prospect, but as the hours passed, no one tried to approach him._

_Guido, one of the youngest members of the local Italian mob and an all-access member of Joe's inner circle, was walking around the club and mingling while his tiny but stunning American wife clung desperately to his arm. Her name was A.J., and she was the only woman in the whole club. Guido was a regular, and he often showed up with A.J., but she always ended up getting passed off to me when Guido wanted some alone time to "sample the local cuisine." _

_I felt bad for A.J. She was smart, funny, and incredibly beautiful, and I had known her long enough to know that she didn't like her husband playing with strippers and now young gay men, but she could do nothing about it or she'd end up in a ditch like Guido's last three wives. _

_After a couple hours of mingling, Guido was ready to branch off and signaled for me to come and get A.J. I let her take my arm and I smiled warmly at her as I asked_, "So, how are you, tonight?"

_I pulled her to an area that wasn't so crowded and she answered with her usual enthusiasm_, "I feel great! I think I'm a bit overdressed, though, but I didn't want to be mistaken as a stripper!"

_I laughed out loud. She was in a blue silk dress and Prada heels, way too outstanding for a strip club at 1AM._

"Can we get away? It's very hot in here," asked A.J.

_I nodded at her, but glanced at John before we left. He was still dancing with Koslov and it didn't look like anyone was going to ask him to the back. I figured 20 minutes away wouldn't make much difference. _

_Guido didn't care that I occupied A.J.'s time by having sex with her while he was messing around. It was just sex and the three of us knew that. I assumed Guido only let me do it because he liked having his wife distracted while he fooled around. _

_I always took her into the girls' bathroom, because it was rare that girls ever came into the club and this bathroom was the cleanest room in the whole place. There was a little nook in the wall by the sinks where I could prop up A.J. She felt weightless to me because she was so tiny, but she never asked me to change positions and she seemed to like our routine. _

_She didn't know that I was more into men than women, and I never had the heart to tell her. I knew that she probably didn't care, as long as I fucked her until she came a couple of times and she could forget for a while about her husband doing dirty, scumbag-worthy things in the other room. I didn't get off real well fucking A.J., but I liked seeing her when she was happy, and it seemed like I only ever saw her happy when she was alone with me. _

"Oh...oh...harder, Randy...harder...oh..." moaned A.J.

_I put my hands underneath her dress and held her by her hips. She let her head fall back and __moaned some more. I was touching her and watching her and feeling my way inside of her, but my __mind kept showing me images of John instead of A.J. _

_Stop it, mind. Stop it. _

"Oh, Randy," she clutched me harder.

_A.J...J.C...A.J...J.C...A.J...J.C..._

_Shit. I couldn't stop seeing John in my mind. I pictured the moment I first saw him. My mind came up with an imaginary portrait of what he would look like naked. I tried to picture that very large ass of his. It only made me want him more. _

"Wait," said A.J.

_I stopped my thrusts and looked into her eyes. I hadn't realized she was crying until that moment, and I asked quickly_, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I just...I just..." she couldn't get the words out.

I held her more closely and said, "We could stop, if you want."

"No, no, I don't want to stop," pleaded A.J.

"What can I do, then?" I asked quietly.

Her tear-filled eyes stared somberly into mine as she asked, "Would you pretend to make love to me? It doesn't have to be real, I just...I need to feel like I matter to someone."

_It was hard for me to hear her say that. I had known her for a long time, and I knew that she didn't feel loved by Guido, but I never knew the depth of it until now. _

"Please, Randy?" she begged.

_I took her head in my hands and kissed her passionately. When I pulled away, I told her as honestly as I possibly could_, "I love you."

_She almost burst into tears again. I started thrusting again, but tried to keep it slow and deliberate so that everything could be felt entirely by A.J. She came once, but I kept going. I kissed her and held her and treated her like she was the love of my life, taking things I remembered doing with Adam as my only experience. _

_She broke out into sobs and I wanted to stop, but she didn't ask me to, so I kept going until she came again. The second time was strong and her whole body shuddered as she fell against me and moaned deeply into my ear. I came myself from all the friction, and it felt good to get some of my tension out._

_We adjusted ourselves and I earned a gracious smile from A.J. She wiped her tears away like they had never come and asked_, "Do I look alright?"

"You look beautiful, babe," I completely meant it.

_She smiled like a sunrise and we made our way back out to the crowd. Guido was waiting for us and he left with A.J. I glanced around once they were gone and realized that John was nowhere to be found. _

I caught up with Bautista and asked him, "Where's J.C.?"

Bautista nodded toward the back rooms and replied, "He went off with Tomko and Snitzky a while ago."

My eyes widened and I asked, "You let him go back to the private rooms with TWO guys?"

Scoffing, Bautista informed me, "They know better than to pull something and cross Big Joe. They'll probably just mess with the kid's head for a while and bring him right back."

_I went back and waited by the entrance to the private rooms. Tomko and Snitzky were the sons of high rollers, and although Tomko was well behaved on his own, when he was with Snitzky, it usually meant big messes and lots of headaches._

_Twenty minutes went by, then almost an hour. Joe usually didn't want his clients spending too much time in the private rooms, but I doubted he would do much this time with the sons of high rollers at stake. I shifted uncomfortably and tried to listen down the hallway, just waiting for a sound I didn't like so I could rush through the door and get John out of there._

_One of the doors suddenly opened and out walked Tomko and Snitzky. They were looking at each other and smiling wickedly as they passed me, and I knew they had pulled something. I waited and John walked out a moment later, but his eyes were pinned to the floor and he hardly looked at me when I stopped him by the entrance._

"Did it go well?" I asked to inspire conversation.

He shrugged passively and replied in a quiet voice, "I dunno, it wasn't so bad."

_I knew that was a lie. I made a once over of his body with my eyes, but he didn't appear to be physically abused. I took a double take of his jeans, especially along the backside and in the crotch area, but there were no signs of bleeding from rape and sodomy. Tomko and Snitzky knew better than to break Joe's rules, but they probably did something sick, like one of them had John give him a blow job while the other watched._

"If you want to talk about anything, you can come to me. You know that, right?" I tried to lock eyes with him.

He kept his gaze away from mine but he smiled more brightly and answered, "Yeah, I appreciate that."

_Another high roller started heading our way. John tensed up but I pressed my lips to his ear and explained_, "Don't worry, he's one of our Russian clients. We call him Kay, and he looks like The Hulk on steroids, but he's actually a huge teddy bear and he comes here 'cause he just wants someone to listen to him talk for a while. Since you know some Russian, he'll really like you."

_That wasn't entirely true. Kay was a good man to our employees, but he was a member of the Russian mafia and he was known for killing his enemies by poisoning them slowly and extremely painfully. There was no need to tell John this part, though, because it would only freak him out more. _

John nodded and I added softly, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to prepare you for your first time in the private room. It won't happen again."

_I sat back and waited for John to say something. He just nodded and waited for Kay to get to us. I opened my mouth to say something more to John to reassure him, but he looked at me and asked suddenly_, "Are you gay, or did you just get hard with me earlier because you like having control over my young, hot ass?"

_His question caught me off-guard and I wasn't able to answer him before Kay came up and motioned for John to follow him into the back. John stared at me a second longer, then he disappeared behind the curtain to the back and I was just standing there, speechless. _


	3. Chapter 3

3:

_John ignored me for the next several weeks, and I did the same to him._

_I only got near him if a scum bag was trying to cop a feel, but otherwise, John and I pretended like the other wasn't even there. Pulling away from him was easy after he accused me of playing the father figure just so I could take advantage of him and get a taste of his virgin chocolate starfish. _

_Trouble was, I still couldn't stop thinking about him. _

_His image filtered through my mind no matter what I was doing: eating, driving, watching wrestling; jerking off. Even when I was browsing ideas at the local tattoo shop or flossing my teeth, somehow, John was on my mind. _

_It was frustrating at first, then it became a constant problem. I started dreaming about him, and whether it was erotic or not, it was always a wet dream. I could barely stand seeing him every night when I knew that fucking dimpled smile of his would be following me home._

"Randy, you drivin' me crazy," Joe said to me one night after we had finished counting the earnings.

I blinked with surprise and asked, "What do you mean?"

He waved a hand at me and argued, "You're all uptight, lately. You need to get somethin' somethin'."

John just happened to be nearby and I felt my cheeks grow hot as his image once again popped into my mind.

"Yeah? Well, maybe I can't get a good somethin'," I replied dryly.

Joe laughed out loud at me and I focused on putting our earnings together. Joe nodded at John and said, "Yo, J.C., you take Randy to the back rooms an' suck him good, eh? I'm payin'."

I scoffed like I wasn't interested and gave John a hard look. He came over anyway and Joe pulled a wad of cash from the earnings and handed it to John, saying simply, "Paid up front."

John pocketed the cash and waited for me to get up and leave with him. I made a frustrated sigh and sat back in my seat, telling Joe, "I don't need this."

"Yeah, you do! You're all frustrated an' mean lookin'! You're scarin' away the customers, Snake Eyes!" Joe waved his arms dramatically.

I scoffed and shook my head at him. He looked at me more seriously and said, "Get back there or I'll put you on leave."

He knew I didn't want that, so I got up and told him, "Alright, but I'm paying for it. Take it out of my earnings."

_Joe nodded but I knew he wouldn't do it. That was because I would owe him, and he felt more powerful when people owed him things._

_John started for the back rooms and I slowly wandered after him, acting like I still wasn't that interested. He took me into one of the rooms and I closed the door behind us, then I took out my master key and locked it. John stood next to the big red velvet chair in the center of the room and waited for me to sit down, his eyes wide after he saw me lock the door, but he was trying to act calm. _

I told him as I collapsed into the chair, "You don't have to do anything, just sit down and let me think for a minute."

"But you paid for a blow job," John argued.

I looked up at him and stated coldly, "I know what I paid for. Now do as I say and sit the fuck down."

He continued to stand there as he countered, "Joe handed me double the money of a regular job. You should get what you paid for at the very least."

"I said sit the fuck down!" I yelled at him.

John didn't move. He told me thickly, "I want to."

I scoffed at him and retorted, "Don't patronize me! I know how this works, alright? I've been here a long time."

_He came around and stood in front of me. I stared at him venomously so he would back off, but he refused to move away. He pushed my knees apart with his legs, then he leaned down and started opening my jeans._

_A part of me knew that I should stop him before this went too far, but an even bigger part of me wanted it to happen. _

He pulled open my jeans and tugged my boxers down just enough to reveal my crotch. He only glanced at my cock for a second before he noticed the scarring from the chemical burn below my belly button and he gave me a curious look. I told him sarcastically, "I got blown up trying to save the world from an ultra destructive bomb that was conveniently placed in the wrong hands."

John frowned and shook his head at me like I was such a dork. He leaned in to taste my partial erection and I argued with him, "What the fuck are you doing? Get your ass over to the drawer and grab a condom! You should always keep yourself safe, even with me!"

"Randy?" John asked.

"What?" I seethed.

"Shut the fuck up," John told me.

_My eyes widened with shock, and he took the opportunity to go down on me before I could argue._

_The warm, wet suction over my highly sensitive shaft was something that I hadn't felt in years. It put me in a state of mind where I felt like I was floating over heavy waves of bliss. It was a luxury that I had sorely missed, and John was damn good at bringing it back to me. He was doing so well that my eyes kept rolling up and my knees were starting to shake. I arched my back and the violence I was feeling moments before started to leave me in slow, short bursts._

_I couldn't remember the last time I was this turned on._

"John," I groaned.

_I reached for him, but I didn't know if he wanted me to touch him after he had been so pissed at me for so long and I didn't want him to stop now, so I clutched the arms of the chair and let the intensity flow through me._

_John went from rhythmic suckling to rolling my cock around in his mouth while he tongued the underside of my shaft. This was a totally new experience for me, and I really, really liked it. _

_He started humming as he continued working my erection. The vibration put me over the edge. It wasn't like anything else I had experienced, before. I wanted to touch John again. I had to force myself not to take his head in my hands and stroke my fingers through his hair._

_I came almost as hard as I had when I was a young teenager. The release of stress felt good, but a part of me was still aggravated that the moment hadn't lasted longer._

John sat up with my cum in his mouth and swallowed before I could tell him he didn't have to. I gazed at him for signs that he was uncomfortable or resentful for what he had to do to me, but he seemed completely at ease as I asked him, "How did you learn to do all that?"

"College," John grinned wickedly.

I scoffed and told him, "You've got skills, I can tell you that much."

He continued to grin and I couldn't help smiling as well. His eyes widened a little and he mentioned, "I don't think I've seen you smile before."

I instantly took my smile away, so he added quickly, "I like it. It's really nice."

_I was feeling so good at that point, I decided to let out another smile, but it was more faint this time. John beamed at me, then both of our smiles faded and we stared at each other._

_John seemed to know what I was thinking, and he must've been thinking the same thing. Before I knew it, he was in my lap and we were making out like a couple of Freshmen. _

_His lips didn't stay with mine for long. He roughly pulled off my shirt and he was all over my upper body, pressing his lips against my skin and curiously tasting some areas. It was the kind of physical action that I hadn't experienced in a long time, and my skin tingled with a renewed sense of pleasure._

_I worked out regularly and I wasn't built quite as broadly as John, but I was apparently good enough, because he couldn't keep his hands off of me. His upper body was already exposed, but I was curious to see more of him. _

"Take your pants off," I told him thickly.

He stopped kissing me and sat back so he could look me in the eyes. His expression was put off and I asked him, "What?"

"You really are gay, aren't you?" he said it like he was disgusted.

It offended me and I stated angrily, "So what if I am? What are you gonna do about it?"

John shook his head and explained, "Hey, I'm not mad at you. I'm gay too, it's just...you were all over that girl A.J."

I suddenly realized why John was so weird the last night we had talked. I quickly clarified, "I wasn't all over her. I have to be with her because her husband likes to mess around and he wants me to keep her occupied."

John blinked with surprise and said, "Oh."

"Yeah. So, I guess that's why you were so pissed at me that night, huh?" I asked.

He shook his head and responded morosely, "No, I was pissed because you weren't there when I had to leave with Tomko and Snitzky. That Snitzky guy was a sick dude and I had to give Tomko a hand job while Snitzky sat behind me with his rock solid dick pressed up against my back and Snitzky kept whispering all these sick things in my ear about perverted stuff he'd done to other guys."

I swallowed my guilt and John continued, "Tomko was okay and he gave me a big tip for putting up with Snitzky, but it was a freak fest and I wish you had been there to warn me about it so I knew what was coming. I thought Snitzky was gonna try and rape me or something."

"I know I should've been there. I've was so mad at myself and it's all I think about," I admitted.

John gave me a sideways glance and asked, "Really? You care about me that much?"

I figured there was no reason to lie anymore. I confessed truthfully, "I think about you all the time, John. I have since the first time I saw you. I really want to help you and teach you the ropes so you won't get crossed by the shitheads that come through this place."

"So, you think I'm fragile?" John asked.

"No, I just...I don't want you to learn to hate this place like everyone else does," I answered.

John pondered my words, then he told me, "I want you to be my first."

"What?" I asked, stunned.

John explained, "I've always known I was gay, but my family was against the idea of it, so I always dated girls, and I know what sex with them is like, but I've never been with a guy before, which is why Joe hired me. The thing is, I've been asked by a lot of clients to spend the night with them, and I know it's only a matter of time before it happens, and I'm okay with that, but I don't want my first time with a guy to be in some hotel room with a dude wearing Gucci who has a criminal history he's paid his way out of and a name I can't pronounce."

I frowned and asked him, "Is that all you want me for? To teach you how to have sex with other men?"

"No, I mean...I'd like it to be something more, I guess," he shrugged like he didn't really care.

_I got angry and shoved him off of me much harder than I meant to. He stumbled onto the floor and I quickly zipped my jeans back up, then I grabbed my shirt. John just stared at me as I unlocked the door and opened it to leave. _

I turned back to face him before I walked out and stated, "I wasn't helping you so you could just use me to get better at your job. I actually thought I loved you."

John blinked with surprise and I turned to leave. He shouted at me, "Randy, wait!"

_But I didn't wait. I just slammed the door on his face and left. _


	4. Chapter 4

4:

_I hadn't spoken to John in days. I watched him from the sidelines, but if he had any trouble, I would either deal with it quickly or I'd make Bautista do it. _

_I didn't think I'd ever recover from the intense humiliation I felt. I hadn't realized how hard I had fallen for John until the he shrugged off the suggestion of us being together. It hurt me, and it hurt me badly. I didn't know how to deal with it except to close off completely, which is what I did best._

_A part of me still wanted John to be okay. He had asked me to be his first, and I was concerned that keeping my distance from him would mean someone else would take that chance, but as of yet, there were no takers. _

_I was beginning to rethink my whole situation. I had been undercover for five years and nothing had come from it. John obviously didn't want any part of me, and Joe appeared to be unstoppable, making more money than ever and doing everything with all the legal documents signed and dated. I began to doubt myself and my reasoning. I began to wonder if all of this was just some kind of denial and I was wasting my time._

_One afternoon, I decided to swing by the club to tell Joe that I was going to quit. If he killed me for it, then he'd be put in jail for killing a Lieutenant and that would be that. I parked in front and went into the club, knowing it would be a couple of hours before the guys showed up for the evening and Joe would be there by himself._

_I glanced around when I got inside, but I didn't see anyone. I figured Joe was in the back, so I went down the hall and checked his office. Still nothing. I checked the other hallway and made my way back to the dressing rooms, thinking maybe Joe was back there for some reason._

_I went in and no one was there, but I could hear what sounded like soft groaning behind the curtain that led to a back room where Joe kept storage and shit. I went over to the curtain and pulled it back, but I didn't find Joe._

_John Cena was shirtless and his jeans were open. He was leaning against the wall, jerking himself off while he eyed a picture that was hung up of Joe, Bautista and myself that had been taken a couple of years ago. _

_He let go of himself as soon as he saw me and took a big step back. I glanced down and got the full view of his rock hard manhood, and it took everything I had not to lick my lips with anticipation._

"Uh...this is what it looks like," John confessed.

I acted like I wasn't the least bit phased, asking calmly, "Have you seen Joe?"

My passive attitude threw John completely off. He struggled to answer me, "Uh...he's...he went out about an hour ago. Got a call about his wife or something."

I frowned and asked, "Does Joe know you're here?"

John became defensive and countered, "What's that supposed to mean? You think I just waltz into places and play with myself?"

I shrugged and mentioned, "Some guys get really turned on by the thrill of breaking and entering."

John's anger rose and he stated, "Yeah? Well, that's not me! Joe knows I'm here and I was just messing around because I was bored!"

I gave the picture he had been looking at a sideways glance and asked teasingly, "Which one of us in the picture were you getting off with?"

John quickly looked away from me and mumbled, "None of your business."

His answer confirmed it was me he was looking at. I narrowed my eyes at him and said, "I should knock you around for spanking your monkey in the middle of the damn club."

"I'm not in the middle of the club! I'm in the back room and no one saw me until you came along, jackass!" John countered.

_I breezed across the room and grabbed John by the neck before he could stop me. I pushed him up against the wall and squeezed his windpipe just enough to scare him, then I lifted the back of my hand up like I was going to give him a good slap in the face. _

His arrogant walls shattered and he put his hands up to shield himself as he told me quickly, "Don't! Please don't hit me! I'm sorry, I won't ever do it again, alright? I'm sorry!"

_Everything about his reaction fit the profile of victims I had seen all too often in my days as a cop. It became glaringly clear to me that John Cena had been physically abused in his past. _

I put my hand down and took the pressure off of his windpipe, but I kept my palm wrapped around his neck as I told him, "I'm not going to hit you, I just don't like it when you back-talk me."

He became defensive again and replied, "I only back-talk you 'cause I don't want you thinkin' I'm some pansy-ass faggot you can just push around!"

I knew from the way John phrased the slur that he was quoting someone from his past directly. I shook my head slowly and told him in almost a whisper, "I would never think of you that way."

_John locked eyes with me and it was like we were thinking the same thing again. He parted his lips and I kissed him, exploring his mouth with my tongue. We made out furiously for a good five minutes before I couldn't help myself anymore._

_I just had to see what his ass looked like. _

_I grabbed him by his hips and roughly turned him around to face away from me. He seemed startled by my rapid movements, so I took it more slowly sliding down his body to get to my knees. I tugged his jeans down enough to expose his backside to me, and I couldn't help smiling at what I saw._

_His ass was perfect. Big, bubbly, and smooth. I ran my fingertips across his cheeks and he let out a light groan of pleasure. I decided to show him something really worth groaning about, so I parted his cheeks and ran my tongue over his back entrance. _

_John gasped with surprise and I did it again, earning another gasp, followed by a shudder that spread throughout his entire body as I pushed my way in with my tongue and teased him a little. _

_My hands were on his hips and I could feel John starting to tremble like he wasn't certain about what I was doing. I pulled my tongue out as I realized something that hadn't occurred to me._

_He had never been rimmed, before._

"I'm sorry, am I going too fast?" I asked him.

He turned to one side so he could see me better. His cheeks were red with embarrassment as he answered softly, "No, I just...I didn't know you could do something like that."

I smiled wryly and asked, "Does it feel good?"

"Yeah, it feels really good," John chuckled.

My smile faded and I asked him, "Why did you act like you didn't want to be with me the other night, but you seem to like it when I'm with you?"

John closed his eyes like it was hard for him to answer me. He opened them again and explained, "I didn't think you were really that serious about me. I've never had anyone try so hard to help me and all, much less tell me they loved me."

"I'm assuming the one who hit you so hard that you flinch whenever a hand is raised is the same one who called you a pansy-ass faggot and made you think you couldn't be loved," I replied.

John nodded slightly and told me, "My older brother. He was an All American Grade-A Male and he didn't like that I was gay."

"So you ran away from home to get away from him?" I asked curiously.

John shook his head and answered, "No, I didn't run away. My parents sent me to boot camp because they thought it would make me change my mind about being gay."

_I had heard stories like this before when I worked the streets as a young cop. It wasn't uncommon that we found victims of sexually biased crimes, most frequently gay males who had been killed by family members, gay-bashers, and ironically, by their own lovers. Sometimes even gay men can become furious when other gay men are able to show their pride more easily. _

"Well, did it change your mind?" I asked to lighten the mood.

John chuckled and replied, "A little bit, until I saw one of the guys all sweaty after doing 200 push-ups and my dick wouldn't stop throbbing."

I started to laugh when I heard Joe call out from the main room, "Randy, you here? Randy! I saw yo' truck!"

John still had an erection, so I stood up and told him, "I'll buy you some time to finish yourself off and clean up before Joe finds you."

"Thanks," John replied, and I gave him one last passionate kiss before going back out to meet Joe.

_When I saw Joe, I knew something was horribly wrong._

He had his lucky silver pistol in his hand and he was pacing like a caged animal. I could smell alcohol on his breath as soon as he turned to me and shouted, "Where the fuck were you, huh? I was waitin' for too long!"

_It had actually only been a matter of seconds, but I wasn't about to debate him._

I put my hands up to calm him down and stated, "Joe, what the fuck went down, man?"

"What? What, you think I've been drinking too much, huh? You think I can't hold myself and somethin's wrong, huh?" Joe ranted.

"Joe," I started again.

He tried to shove me but I grabbed onto him and held him steady. He started sobbing as he told me, "My Evie, she lost the baby, homes."

I never liked Joe's wife, Eve, but I would've never wished something like this on her. I blinked with surprise, then I said sympathetically, "Aw, man, Joe, I'm sorry."

He waved his pistol at me and turned away as he continued to sob, telling me between breaths, "I dunno wha' happened...she was in early labor...she's been full of stress with all the new changes goin' on...we were makin' good money...how could this happen?"

"I know man, I know," I tried to console him.

John walked out to greet us at that moment. Joe caught John staring at his tear stained face and lost it. Joe pointed his pistol at John and stated darkly, "You picked the wrong time to come outta hidin', J.C."

I stepped quickly between John and the gun and told Joe, "What the fuck, man? You can't shoot your star attraction or we won't have a show!"

_Joe considered my words and roared with frustration before he turned around and started shooting at the far wall. John covered his ears and dropped behind the main couch. I dropped to my knees as well to avoid any ricochet from the bullets. Once Joe had emptied his gun into the wall, he dropped the pistol and turned back to face me. I stood up again and so did John, but Joe stayed focused only on me._

"Why you here, Randy?" he asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean? I've been here five years," I countered, standing my ground.

Joe scoffed and told me, "I mean why you here, in this place, huh? I see your family. They're all suburbanites livin' in ranch style homes an' feedin' off good work an' good life. You have an education; background, you smart, you good to friends...I even check up on your lover, dat Adam who got killed in a gang shoot-out a few years ago."

_I was legitimately surprised that Joe knew about Adam. His expression told me that he didn't make the connection that Adam was killed by members of his own gang, probably thanks to the same people who changed my records so that my law enforcement background could never be found._

"Adam, now he was a cop. You a cop, Randy?" Joe leaned in closely to me.

"I ain't no cop, so what's your point, Joe?" I folded my arms and stared right back at him.

He continued to haze me, stating boldly, "I think you is a cop, know why? You is here when you could be anywhere in da world. You ain't into strippers, you don't owe me no money, you ain't lookin' for an easy way out, but you here. No one like you here."

_Joe was looking for a reason, so I gave him the best lie I could come up with._

"I'm here because I need protection," I told him.

He blinked with surprise and I explained, "Adam was killed by a gang over some lost drug money. They've been after me the last five years trying to find it. They won't touch me as long as I'm with you."

A broad smile spread across his wicked face as he believed he finally had some dirt on me. He asked me curiously, "Why five year they chase you? Why not give up now?"

"It was a lot of money," I answered.

Joe started chuckling and I wondered if he believed me. He nodded his head and told me, "You stay here, then."

He walked past me and went for John. Before I could warn him, John felt the brunt of Joe's fist in his left eye. John was knocked to the floor and I had to stand there and pretend not to care as Joe pointed a fat finger in John's face and stated, "You never tell nobody I cry or I make you sob like a baby, huh?"

"Yes, sir," John nodded obediently.

_Joe drunkenly wandered off to get to his office so he could sleep off his stupor before tonight. I picked John up as soon as Joe was gone and helped him back to the storage room, where we had a small fridge with ice packs reserved for Joe's temper tantrums._

I pulled one out and put it over John's eye, telling him quietly, "Don't take this night too personally. Joe doesn't usually get this shit faced but his wife lost their baby and he's out of it."

John nodded and mumbled, "Oh, that's too bad."

I took off the pack to check his eye again, then I put it back on and relayed, "Your eye should be fine by tonight. He didn't hit you as hard as he could've."

"Awesome," John said sarcastically.

I smiled and John perked up a little, asking me, "So, what's the real story on your lover, Adam?"

My smile faded and I told him, "You were out there; you heard the story."

He shook his head and replied, "I don't believe that bullshit you said out there. You're not the type who would be stupid enough to fall for some guy who hides drug money."

I scoffed and he waited for me to answer him. I shrugged and said simply, "The details aren't important. He did die in a shoot-out, though."

"I'm sorry to hear that," John looked away sadly.

"It was a long time ago. Some days I think he's still lying in bed next to me, and other days it was like he was never really there at all."

_John watched me as I pondered a memory of Adam's face when he laughed. It was hard to picture exactly how he did it: the lines on his face, the crow's feet in his eyes, the way his longer hair would sway back and forth..._

"So, do you like me because I'm like Adam or something?" John asked curiously.

"You're not like Adam at all, actually," I pointed out.

"Oh, so you just like me because you want something from me," John said jokingly.

I took a step closer to him and replied, "You're right, I do want something from you."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I want that tight, loaded ass of yours," I grinned wickedly.

* * *

_We opened for the night as soon as Joe was up. Bautista came in late and brought Eve. I assumed he had picked her up from the hospital and Joe didn't want to bother to take the time to get her home. Eve was completely spaced out on painkillers and the trauma of losing her baby had brought her so far over the edge, there was little life left in her eyes._

_Joe wanted to spend more time looking busy than dealing with Eve, so I was assigned to watch her and make sure the clients didn't bother her while John and the other boys worked on-stage. I took the main couch and kept an eye on John while Eve curled up in my lap and I held her in my arms. _

_She was always so eager to be closer to me, but now that she had the opportunity to practically ride me, she couldn't care less. I knew for sure at that point that Eve was seriously messed up._

"Randy, I want a beer," she croaked, speaking for the first time since she came in.

"I'll get you something, baby," I told her.

I glanced around, but Bautista was busy and Joe was out of sight, so I signaled to John and he rushed over to me. I asked him, "Could you get some water?"

"I want a beer!" Eve wailed, but I told John again, "Get some water."

He nodded and took off. Eve started sobbing and I pulled her even closer to me, rocking her softly as I whispered into her ear, "It's alright, baby, just relax."

She suddenly stopped crying and told me sadly, "I wanna go home."

"It's just a few more minutes and Joe'll take you home," I lied to comfort her.

She didn't respond and I looked up just as Bautista came over and argued with me, "Why'd you call off J.C.?"

"Eve needed some water," I told him.

Bautista scoffed and retorted, "You could've asked me."

"You were busy talking to Ricky," I argued.

_John came back with a big NFL cup full of water and started to hand it to me. Bautista deliberately elbowed John in the ribs and the cup went flying. Water splashed all over Eve and I and Eve screamed loud enough to attract everyone's attention. The music stopped and the whole room was staring at us as Joe shuffled through the crowd to see what had happened._

"What the fuck, huh?" Joe started in on us.

Bautista immediately pointed at John and said, "He threw a drink all over Eve!"

Joe glared at John, but I countered quickly, "He didn't do anything! Animal made him spill the fucking drink on purpose!"

Bautista started for me, so I stood up and waited for him to try to take a swing at me. Joe split us up when he said, "Alright, closin' time! We're out early!"

_Some of the clients groaned with frustration. Bautista spit at me, but I moved aside and missed it. I glanced at John to make sure he was okay, then I turned back to face Eve._

_Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head and she looked white as a ghost._

"Shit...shit! We need to get her to a hospital!" I shouted.

Everybody but John just stared at me like I was an idiot. I picked up Eve in my arms and told Joe, "We've gotta get her out of here."

"I have to stay and close up, first," Joe informed me.

"I can stay and close the place up," Bautista offered.

Joe almost opened his mouth to tell Bautista something to the effect that he couldn't be trusted, and that would've opened a whole can of worms, so I interjected and said, "J.C., you'll come with me and be my driver."

"I'm old enough to drive but I don't have a license," John informed me.

Koslov came off of the stage and told me in a Russian accent, "I take you to hospeetal."

"Joe?" I waited for him to give us the okay.

He nodded and told me, "I'm just behind you."

* * *

_After seeing the way Koslov drove, I was surprised John and I didn't need the emergency room as much as Eve did. _

_He weaved in and out of traffic, drove mostly in the middle of the road, and stoplights seemed to be nothing more than for entertainment purposes. _

We thankfully pulled into the parking lot still alive. I brought Eve into the emergency room and we had to wait almost half an hour to get care. The nurses started asking me probing questions as soon as they wheeled Eve back. It eventually came to, "Does she have any diseases or disorders we should know about?"

"She has hepatitis," I told the dark skinned nurse that was asking the most questions.

She frowned at me and I already knew what she was about to say, so I told her before she could, "Look, this woman belongs to a very powerful man. If you won't help her, then I can't help you or your family."

The nurse swallowed hard and nodded that she understood. She left and I sat in the waiting room with John and Koslov for another hour before the doctor came back to report that Eve had some internal bleeding, but she would be fine.

We were taken to her room after claiming that we were all her half-brothers, and I sat on the edge of my seat and watched Eve while she slept, waiting for her to open her eyes again.

"Where's Joe? He said he was coming," John mentioned in the early morning hours.

I was still awake even though I had been up for almost 24 hours straight. I told John stiffly, "Joe's not coming."

"What do you mean? He said he was right after us," John reminded me.

"He doesn't care about Eve as much as he cares about his business, John. He probably closed up after we left and took his clients to one of his penthouses and they partied all night, a party that would've involved drugs and gang rape if you had been invited to it," I told him the truth.

John swallowed hard and Koslov stated something to him in Russian. I stood up and demanded, "What the fuck did you just say?"

John put up his hands in defeat and told me, "He was just telling me he wouldn't let me get raped is all."

I glanced back at Koslov, but his face was like stone. I sat back down and asked, "So what, are you two like, together or something?"

"No, we're just friends, but Koslov doesn't want me to get hurt because he needs someone around who can understand him," John told me.

I nodded understandably and replied, "I know how that is."

"So, what's it like?" John asked.

"What is what like?" I retorted.

"Butt sex. What does it feel like?" John asked me.

I gave him a sideways glance. He smiled like he knew this was a totally inappropriate time to be asking, and that was exactly why he was asking. Koslov snorted and said something in Russian. John replied to him in Russian and Koslov got up to leave. Once he was gone, John turned back to me and I asked, "What did he say?"

"He said he could show me what butt sex was like, but I told him I'd rather learn from you," he said.

"What's wrong with Koslov?" I asked curiously.

John shrugged and replied, "Nothing, he's just not my type, I guess. Plus his dick is like, a third leg."

"You're making that up," I argued.

John smiled wryly and said, "Why do you think Joe hired some big ugly Russian dude to be a gay dancer?"

My eyes widened a little and John nodded, adding, "He's so freakin' strong, too. I've seen him break refrigerator doors right off when he's calm. He walks around the apartment and it measures on the Richter Scale. He'll break me the fuck in half!"

I chuckled and John went on, trying to lift the mood, "He's dating this little guy, too. I think his name is like, Evan Bourne or something. He's smaller than I am! I mean, how do they even fuck? It'd be like David fucking Goliath or some shit."

I busted out laughing and John started laughing himself, saying as he blushed, "I may have gone too far with that one."

We finished laughing and he asked, "So, what's it like?"

I tried to think of a good way to put it, but all I could come up with was, "You know when you have to take a huge dump and it's weird and aggravating and it kind of hurts, but once it's out, you feel all relieved and happy and it's the best feeling in the world?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess," John cringed.

"It's like that, only you're putting something in instead of out," I finished.

John stared at me and stated, "That does not turn me on at all, Randy."

I shrugged and replied, "Guess I'll just have to show you, then."

"When?" John asked curiously.

I clamped my mouth shut and refused to answer him.


	5. Chapter 5

5:

_John and Koslov fell asleep after a few hours. I was having trouble staying awake as the morning faded into the afternoon, but I wanted to be there for Eve when she woke up. I had seen the psychological damage that a miscarriage does to a woman. It can become so overwhelming, she'll choose to end her own life, or end the lives of those around her, and I didn't want to see that happen to Evie. I wanted her to know that someone gave a shit, even if she took it the wrong way and started believing I cared for her the way she lusted after me._

_I checked my phone every hour, but Joe didn't call. I knew he wasn't coming, but I was surprised that he hadn't tried to contact me to find out if Eve was dead yet. To keep myself awake, I tried to think of all the reasons why he wouldn't call, but the same reason kept coming back into my mind: he was interested in someone else. _

_Joe could have easily been the one to cause Eve's miscarriage, but I doubted that he would go that far and leave her in my hands when he knew full well how I felt about abusing women. The last time a guy fucked up one of our female dancers, I broke three of his vertebrae. I couldn't do the same to Joe, but I could make his life very chaotic if I found out he hurt Eve. _

_I was in the middle of deliberating what could have caused Eve's miscarriage besides Joe or natural causes when Koslov woke up with a start. He stood up and made some aggressive noises while he stretched himself out. Surprisingly, John slept through the whole thing. Koslov looked at me and said a few words in Russian. It sounded good, so I nodded, thinking he was telling me he was going to the bathroom or some shit. He nodded back at me and left._

_Koslov didn't come back. John groaned in his sleep and settled his head on my shoulder. I pressed the tip of my nose to the back of his head and breathed in his scent. His short hair smelled like strawberries. I wondered if he purposefully bought strawberry shampoo, or if it were some cheap shit that was all he could afford. _

_I waited for him to start drooling so I could shrug him awake, but he never did. He was like the perfect sleeper, all cozy with his little baby face hanging off of my shoulder, mumbling quietly to himself from time to time while he clutched my jeans for support. _

He woke up suddenly about an hour after Koslov left and looked around, asking frantically, "Where am I?"

"We're still at the hospital," I informed him.

John turned to face me with an expression of panic. It was like he had no clue who I was. I leaned into him and said more slowly, "Everything is fine, John. You fell asleep is all."

He glanced around and blinked a few times before he finally began to register where he was. He relaxed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, asking groggily, "Where's Koslov?"

"I dunno, he said something in Russian and took off," I replied.

"What time is it?" John became alert again.

"About two in the afternoon," I reported after checking my watch.

John nodded knowingly and said, "Evan gets out of his class at 2. Koslov usually picks him up and they go back to the apartment. This is about the time I leave and head for the club so they can have their alone time."

He rolled his eyes and I chuckled. John sighed with frustration and said, "Guess I won't be getting a shower tonight."

"Don't worry about it, we'll stop by my place before we hit the club and you can shower there," I told him.

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head with surprise. He smiled graciously, but I shook my head and added, "Don't get so worked up, it's just some crack-shack motel room with bullet holes in the walls and rats under the floorboards."

John's smile faltered a little, but I could tell he was still anxious to see where I lived. I looked away just as Eve groaned from her bed in the middle of the room and asked weakly, "Joe?"

_I rushed to her side and gently gripped her shoulders so she wouldn't try to get up. Her somber eyes locked with mine and I could tell from the distance in them that she was still fully pumped up with drugs and painkillers._

"Hey, Baby," I smiled warmly at her.

She closed her eyes again and whispered, "Where am I?"

"You had some trouble at the club last night. We took you to the hospital," I explained.

John came up beside me just as Eve opened her eyes again. She stared blankly at him, then she became confused as she asked, "J.C.?"

"Hey, Evie," he waved at her like a little kid.

She blinked slowly and focused her attention back on me, asking, "Where is Joe?"

"He went out to get us some lunch. He'll be back any minute," I lied.

She hummed an approval and closed her eyes again. I could tell she was falling asleep again, so I asked her quietly, "You need anything, Evie? I could get you those apple turnovers you like."

_She frowned and shook her head like the sound of her favorite dessert now disgusted her. I waited, thinking Eve was about to fall asleep, but she suddenly rolled over on her side and her hospital gown rode up, while her hospital blanket slid down, exposing everything from just below her breasts to the tips of her toes. _

I could see the scar tissue below her navel and I turned my head to one side as I leaned in to inspect it more closely. John asked me with hushed alarm, "What are you doing?"

"There's something wrong," I said, tracing the scar with my index finger.

_Eve moaned softly and curled up in the fetal position, hiding the scar from our view before I could get a good idea of what exactly bothered me about it. I stood up as John quickly grabbed the edge of Eve's gown and pulled it down. I couldn't help but notice before John covered her up that Eve took very good care of herself. _

_He pulled the blanket back over her. Eve hummed a half-coherent thank you and John took a few seconds to carefully tuck her in. I watched him with a curious expression, wondering why he felt the need to seal and protect a grown woman as if she were his own frightened child. When he finished, he looked at me and waited for further instruction._

"Let's go back to my place," I nodded toward the door.

Just before we left, Eve called to me, "Come back and see me, soon."

"I will, Baby," I reassured her.

* * *

_The moment I pulled up in front of the motel, John's eagerness to see my place was replaced by fear of the many hazards that made up my place._

_He stayed within 2 inches of me the entire walk up to my room. I let us inside and he glanced around, but he still didn't feel safe enough to move out very far._

"It's not that bad," I half-smiled, tossing my keys on the blood stained coffee table.

"This looks like one of those places in the movies where the guy gets blown to pieces after a drug deal goes bad," John stated.

"Yeah, that's probably happened a lot in here," I shrugged.

"I don't understand. You make lots of money working for Joe, right? Why would you be in this shit-hole instead of a mansion?" John asked me.

I frowned and joked dryly, "I don't like mortgage payments."

John crept his way toward the bathroom like he was sure someone would jump out of there at any second and cut his throat. He carefully stepped in and closed the door most of the way, but didn't dare shut it completely, in case something decided to jump out later.

I took the arm chair by the window so I could see the bathroom door from the hallway. I heard John turn the shower on and I closed my eyes for a second to imagine what he looked like all wet and surrounded by steam.

"Fuck," I whispered, feeling my dick start to swell from the mental picture.

I opened my eyes and glanced at the bathroom door. John was still in there and I heard the soft thud of a shampoo bottle. I closed my eyes again and imagined myself lathering John's scalp with my fingertips, listening to him moan with pleasure as I moved from his head down to his crotch, lathering down his happy trail before reaching around the shaft of his...

"Ah, fuck," I opened my eyes again and looked down.

My dick was painfully hard at this point. I opened my jeans to release the pressure and glanced at the bathroom door again. It was still mostly closed, and the shower was still running. I was so tired by that point, I forgot my manners and grabbed myself.

I thought back to the night when John went down on me until I reached a steady rhythm. Remembering John's mouth surrounding my staff had an almost unearthly effect on me. I changed the scene and imagined him doing the same thing to me in the shower, and I knew I was about to blow.

"Randy?" John whispered next to me.

My eyes shot open and I froze. John was standing naked before me, completely drenched and staring awkwardly at my erection as he asked, "Do you have any towels?"

I let go of myself and pointed toward the kitchen as I replied, "Second drawer next to the fridge."

John didn't move, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. I told him clearly, "Now's not a good time. I'm too tired to fuck you right; to fuck you the way you deserve."

John looked up at me with surprise and asked, "You actually give a shit about the way you fuck me?"

I tried to rub my eyes to stay awake as I answered, "Absolutely. Sex up the ass is different. It has its pleasures if it's done right, but it can be really painful, too."

John swallowed anxiously, so I added calmly, "I won't hurt you like that. There will still be some pain, but I'll make you want it."

He stared at me longingly for a few seconds, then he said thickly, "I like you better this way."

"What way?" I asked quietly.

He came over to me and slowly drifted down into my lap so that my dick was pressed up against his abs. I could feel the head of his cock brushing between my balls as he leaned into my ear and whispered, "You don't have so many shields up when you're horny and exhausted."

I realized that my shields really were down, and I instinctively felt the need to put them back up, but John took hold of my erection and I was more focused on his touch than I was on my boundaries.

He started with a slow massage, then he began pressing down on my shaft with his thumbs and rubbing me more aggressively. It burned, but it was also strangely euphoric. He pressed down a little harder and I groaned as I let my head lull against his shoulder.

"Don't fall asleep yet, I'm almost done," John whispered to me, gripping my shaft with both hands.

He curled his fingertips inward and clawed across my shaft just enough to inspire waves of stimulation that traveled up my spine and nearly exploded in my brain.

"Ah, fuck," I could hardly take it.

I squeezed my eyes shut and John pressed his lips against mine in a rough kiss as he reached down between my legs and found my back entrance, forcing his middle finger in before I could stop him.

I cried out with pain and surprise and came all over his washboard abs. John slowly pulled his finger out and asked, "Did I do that wrong? I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Get off, please," I said.

"I'm sorry, Randy, I'm sorry! I thought a finger was nothing compared to a dick," John started to panic.

"Get off," I ordered him.

John quickly moved out of my lap and I slowly made my way to my feet. I was feeling good from the release, but John's zealous need to touch me inside without using any kind of lube or spit first forced me to walk with a slight limp back to the bedroom. I collapsed in bed on my stomach and told John, "Wake me in an hour."

"Did I fuck things up?" John asked me quietly.

"No, it's fine. I'll live," I answered gruffly.

"I won't do it again, I promise," John still seemed anxious .

"Don't worry about it," I countered.

He was quiet for a few seconds, then he slowly crawled into bed and curled up beside me. I turned my head to one side to look at him better and I could see that he was still upset. I told him thickly, "It's okay, John. I'm not scarred for life or anything."

His baby blues pondered me before he replied softly, "I can't help it. I just wanna do more with you."

I closed my eyes and whispered before I fell asleep, "I know exactly what you mean."


	6. Chapter 6

6:

_The club was like a haze of music, bodies and stenches. I had been up for almost 48 hours, and although I had stayed up for much longer in the past, all the chaos and stress of watching over John and Evie were finally catching up to me. _

_I tried to keep my focus on John. I thought if I stared at him, I wouldn't want to fall asleep. After a couple of hours, even his delicious features couldn't keep me awake. He started blurring with the other dancers, until I wasn't sure if I were still watching John or not. I tried to stay with his baby blue eyes, imagining what it would feel like to touch him again, what position I would put him in when I fucked him, what kind of noises he would make in response to me..._

"Hey! Randy, what the fuck, man?"

_I jolted awake when I felt Bautista backhand the side of my skull. I whirled around to face him, and the hard look in his eyes told me I had fallen asleep._

"Fuck!" I shot up, glancing around to see if anything had gone wrong while I slept.

_The club was still in one piece. Joe was busy working deals with clients in the far corner and probably had no clue I was out. I glanced at the stage, but John was gone._

"Where is he?" I shouted at Bautista.

"Who?" he barked, still mad at me for taking a nap.

"J.C., you douche bag! Where the fuck did he go?" I countered.

Bautista gave me a warning glance, then he sighed and replied, "He went in the back with some big time Samoan client. The guy was probably my age but built like a rock."

_I became confused. Although Joe was Samoan, he rarely had clients from his homeland, and I hadn't remembered seeing anyone matching Bautista's description before I clocked out._

"Thanks, man," I made an apologetic look to get Bautista off my back.

He shrugged apathetically and replied, "You should grab a cup of coffee from the back. Joe catches you with your eyes closed again and he'll probably make it permanent."

"Yeah, thanks," I said quietly.

_I took off for the back room like I was going for a cup of coffee, but I took the side door and went around to the hallway where the back rooms were. I listened intently until I heard voices on the other side of one of the doors. I pressed my ear against it and listened for John's voice. _

"Yes, sir," I heard John say.

His voice sounded timid, like he was being controlled. I listened for the voice of the Samoan. He came across loud and clear as he stated, "I have a very big cock. You like that, don't you, boy?"

My fists clenched as I listened to John answer quietly, "Yes, sir."

"What's that? I can't hear you," the Samoan countered.

"I said yes, sir, I do like that," John stated more loudly.

The Samoan chuckled darkly. I heard a zipper being pulled, then a belt being opened. I heard the friction of the belt being slipped off, then the Samoan said, "You want to suck me off, pretty boy?"

"Yes, sir, I do," John responded, trying to keep his voice strong.

My anger boiled inside of me as I listened to the Samoan reply, "You're gonna do it nice, and slow, and perfect...and if you don't do it perfect, I'm gonna make you do it again, and again, until you get it right. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir, very clear," John stated.

"Come here, boy," the Samoan said.

I heard shuffling, then I heard John make some stifled sounds like he were resisting. I heard a thud, then the Samoan shouted, "You obey me, you little shit!"

_There was a loud clap like leather hitting skin, and John cried out in pain._

_Before I knew it, I had kicked the door down and I was inside the room._

_I speared the Samoan in the middle and we both hit the floor. I was already up again before I got a good look at the guy's muscular upper body and I realized he was almost as athletic as Bautista was. The tribal tattoo that covered half of his chest and arm told me he was a fighter. I instinctively grabbed the lamp against the wall—the only source of light in the room—and yanked it out of the socket to black the room out._

_The Samoan was distracted while his eyes tried to adjust. I was also blinded, but I had the advantage of knowing the layout of the room. I went around behind the Samoan and slammed the lamp into his head. The lamp shattered on impact and the Samoan collapsed on the floor. _

"John?" I asked the room quietly.

"Over here," John stepped into the soft light of the broken doorway.

_I rushed over to him. He was holding his ribs and leaning heavily to the right. I pulled him closer to the doorway to check the damage and discovered that the Samoan got in a couple of good, harsh swings._

"It looks worse than it is, but you should soak it when you get home," I told him.

John nodded and asked, "What am I gonna do?"

I pulled my shirt off and handed it to him, explaining, "Put this on. If the clients see you all marked up, they might get bad ideas."

He nodded and I helped him get the shirt on. He glanced back into the darkened room and asked, "Are you gonna get into trouble for this?"

"Honestly, I don't know, yet," I shrugged.

John suddenly pressed his lips to mine in a quick but passionate kiss. He pulled away and told me solemnly, "Thank you, Randy."

I nodded and replied thickly, "No problem."

I took John by the arm and led him back out to the main floor. I signaled for Joe and he followed us to the dressing room where it was quiet. I lifted the shirt to show Joe the damage, then I explained shortly, "The Samoan guy went too far with J.C."

Joe looked at me with a curious expression, like he found it too coincidental that I found John in time, but he ignored it and asked, "What you do with him?"

"He's out in one of the back rooms. Smashed a lamp over his head," I stated.

Joe shook his head at me like a disappointed parent, then he replied with a long sigh, "Guy's the son of an old clan used to own these parts. He was better den me in his day, but no one seen his ass for seven years. He come back tonigh' actin' like he never out."

"If this causes trouble for you, Joe, I'll take the fall," I told him.

John gave me a pleading look, but I was ready for whatever Joe decided. He made another sigh and replied, "He knows our rules, he can't go beatin' up on my show's star. I'll make sure this don't come back on us."

I nodded gratefully, then I asked, "Could J. go home for the night?"

Joe frowned and replied, "I've got too many biggies out there, tonight."

I opened my mouth to argue, but John jumped in with, "Why don't I keep my shirt on and tug on it while I'm dancing, kind of like I'm going to take it off but I never do."

Joe grinned broadly and replied, "Like a tease! Ah, J.C., you so good!"

He gave John a quick slap on the back, then he looked at me and stated before he left, "I catch you on the snooze again, I'll cut your throat while you wet dream."

"Got it," I stated.

John looked at me like he had also seen me fall asleep earlier. I shrugged it off and told him, "Better get back out there."

_He waited for me to follow him and I sat at the main couch so I could keep an eye on John the rest of the night. I didn't notice the Samoan leave, but I assumed he took the back way out so nobody would see how much I fucked him up. When my shift was finally over, I made sure John went home with Koslov, then I picked up some breakfast and made a quick stop back at the hospital. _

_Eve was still mostly out of it and fell asleep while she was still chewing some eggs. I scooped them out of her mouth with my finger so she wouldn't accidentally choke, then I grabbed a fresh gown and made sure no one was around before I gave Eve a quick change of clothes._

_The reason I was being quiet about it was because I wanted a better look at the scar under her abdomen. She was so far out, she didn't react much to me touching her except for a few soft moans whenever my fingertips brushed too close to the scar. I stared at the scar as long as I could, but my brain was fried and I barely had a clue what I was looking at, let alone why the scar bothered me so much._

"Fuck," I surmised after ten minutes of deliberation came up with nothing.

_I took out my cell phone and pointed the tiny camera at Eve's scar. I was trying to get a good shot, but she was about to shift position and I had to be quick. I glanced at the shot after I took it. I managed to get Eve's scar, but I also got the dark velvet between her thighs. It looked more like a cheap porn shot than evidence. I could hear shuffling in the main hallway and I knew I was out of time, so I saved the picture and shoved my cell back into my pocket. _

_I dressed Eve and made sure her nurse came to check on her before I left. Once I was back at the motel, I collapsed into bed and passed out._

* * *

"Randy? Randy!"

My eyes shot open at the sound of heavy knocking. I realized someone was at the door and I got up to check. I could hear John's voice saying from the other side, "Randy? It's me."

_I checked the peephole anyway, just to make sure John was definitely alone. He was, but John had his hands in his pockets and his eyes were darting around the hallway like he was terrified someone was going to come out and grab him. I opened the door and John rushed into my room, breathing a huge sigh of relief when he saw me close and deadbolt the door. _

"What brings you here?" I asked curiously.

John quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I just...Koslov wanted some time with Evan again, and I figured you might be awake because it was after 3 in the afternoon, but I'm guessing you were still asleep 'cause it took you so long to get to the door, and..."

He realized he was still in a bit of a panic and tried to calm his own breathing. I chuckled and asked, "You want something to eat?"

"Yeah!" John blurted happily, like a kid going to the ice cream store.

I laughed again and led him to the kitchen. He checked the fridge while I worked to put on some coffee. I watched John while he searched for food and I noticed he was unconsciously reaching for his left side and wincing in pain whenever he had to use that arm. I turned to face him and asked, "Can I take a look?"

_He stopped rummaging the fridge and slowly came over to me. I tugged his shirt up just enough to see the damage, but John pulled back and let me take his shirt completely off. I held him closely so I could inspect his marks. The bruising was bad enough that I knew that was the reason he felt so much restriction, but thankfully, I saw nothing worse than that._

"Just keep off your back for a few days. Sleep on your stomach and don't lift a lot of weight with your left arm," I instructed him.

John nodded and told me softly, "Thank you."

He put his arms around me. It was a little spontaneous, but I liked having him this close to me, so I returned the gesture and John squeezed me more tightly, almost desperately.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" I asked him thickly.

John took a few long seconds before responding, "Joe called me this morning. He's got a super rich Irish client who wants to pay half a million to have sex with me tonight."

I knew it was only a matter of time before John would be booked with someone, but I was still caught by surprise and it felt much sooner than I had expected. I ignored my own overwhelming feelings about the situation and kept my focus on John, asking him, "Did Joe give you a name?"

"No, but I'm assuming he's a major dude since he wants to pay a hundred times more than the usual for me," John pointed out.

I thought about all of Joe's Irish clients, but only one in particular came to mind. I explained to John, "I think your guy will be Rod Piper. He was raised in violence in Ireland. He specialized as a sharpshooter and assassin in his early years, which is where he got all his money from. He's part of the Irish mafia and he dresses like a biker. He's kind of small and lean, but fast with a gun and even faster when he thinks. He's not real handsome, but not ugly, either, and he's charming."

"Has he booked anyone before?" John whispered.

"Yeah, he books one of our strippers about once a month. He chooses a new one every time, but he's real good to them. Takes them out for a day, makes them forget their problems, pays for anything they want, and from what I've heard from the girls, he's simple and easy to please in bed, no kinky stuff."

"Has he ever booked a virgin before?" John asked, his voice shaking slightly.

I nodded and told him, "Yeah, he booked one of our girls a long time back. She was a virgin and she was terrified, so he made this really big deal about booking at the best hotel in the city and he brought her flowers and stuff a few days before. She said he was so careful and good to her, the other girls were jealous that their first times weren't with him."

John scoffed and asked me, "Are you just making that up to make me feel better?"

"You know I wouldn't lie to you about something like that," I told him.

John pulled away to look up at me and asked seriously, "Do you know if he's ever booked a guy from a club before?"

I shook my head and replied thickly, "I don't, but I know him well enough to know he won't hurt you."

John's baby blue eyes became wet with tears as panic started to set in. He clutched my shirt and told me, "Please, Randy, I'll do anything you want! I'll pay you everything this guy gives me tonight. I'll pay you everything I make for the next six months if you'll be my first!"

"John, I-" I started.

"Please, Randy! Please, I want you, I want you!" John cried.

_He pulled me into a furious kiss before I could say another word. He was going at me so strongly, I hardly had time to process what was happening. Clothes were being peeled off, shoes and socks were being tossed aside, skin was being tasted, dicks were being massaged into full strength, and suddenly, I was pinned against the kitchen sink with John's tongue in my mouth while I searched the top drawer for lube and condoms with my only free hand._

I found the lube, but there were no condoms to choose from. I pulled away from John to check for sure, then I sighed with disappointment and stated, "Shit."

"What's the matter?" John asked, starting to panic again.

"I don't have any condoms," I answered in defeat.

John shook his head and quickly countered, "It doesn't matter, just use the lube. I trust you; I know you won't give me anything."

I hesitated and John added, "I promise I won't do this with anyone else. Just you."

_It was probably a dumb-ass move, but I relented and John got so excited, he grabbed the lube and squirted a huge wad into his hand, lathering it all over me until I was dripping with lube from my erection down to my knees. _

"Jesus, John, I'm not going in _that _far," I stated dryly.

He smiled wickedly and replied, "Let's see how far you_ can_ go."

John hopped onto the table and positioned himself on all fours. I pulled him back to his knees and said, "I want you to face me."

"I didn't know guys could face each other," John gave me a confused expression.

I climbed up on the table and lay down on my back, then I told him, "Climb on top."

"Okay," he straddled me, sitting up on his knees until I gave him further instruction.

I took hold of his backside and slowly parted his cheeks, then I told him, "Just back down into me, but take it real slow."

"'Kay," John replied, moving very carefully.

_He winced a little in pain as my head pushed through. He had lubed me up so damn much, my shaft went in really easily and John let out a groan of surprise. I had no doubts that he was truly a virgin when I felt how tightly he had me surrounded. It felt so good, I was having a hard time keeping stiff. _

"Use your hips John, just like when you're with a girl," I urged his backside forward with my hands.

_He nodded and started thrusting his hips. He started off a little too fast and his eyes widened when he realized his backdoor was more restrictive than a vagina. _

"Ow," John breathed, and I wondered if he had stretched himself a bit too far.

"You alright?" I asked him.

He looked down at himself and answered, "Yeah, but it burns some."

"That's why you take it slow. It burns because you're bleeding a little bit. Sometimes that happens until you get more used to taking it in back there," I explained.

"How come you tell me all about this, but no one else I've ever met would tell me anything?" John asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's 'cause I want to tell you all about this," I surmised.

John made a dimpled smile and started thrusting again, taking it more slowly this time. He watched me moan with appreciation for a while, then John suddenly gasped mid-thrust and froze. I asked him quickly, "What happened?"

"Your dick just poked something in my ass and it felt really, really good," John stared at me wide eyed.

"That's your prostate. It's the reason why guys like fucking each other so much," I grinned arrogantly.

_John smiled broadly and shifted his position so that he could keep feeling the effects. He made faster thrusts the closer he came to release, and I massaged him in front with my hands to add to his pleasure center. I could feel myself about to cum as well, so I closed my eyes and let out a long groan._

_Adam popped into my mind. He used to like fucking in the kitchen and I almost always had him bent over the table while he clutched the plate mats and called out my name loud enough for the neighbors to hear. _

John jerked forward as he came. I whispered instinctively as I came myself, "Adam."

We both finished and John stayed above me. He kept his gaze with mine until our breathing slowed, never moving or saying a word. I knew what I had done and I wasn't going to lie about it or make excuses. I told him blatantly, "I shouldn't have said Adam. I wasn't thinking about you in that last second and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," John replied quietly, but I knew damn well it wasn't.

He slowly got off of me and reached for his clothes. I could tell I had fucked up royally, so I said again, "John, I'm really sorry."

"I know, and I said it's okay," John replied passively.

"No, it's not okay. I fucked up," I stated.

"I have to go," John mumbled, heading for the door.

"Please don't leave like this," I told him.

_He ignored me and walked out the door without another word. _


	7. Chapter 7

7:

_I was anxious all night long. John was out with Teager, and all I could think about was what could be happening to him._

_I wasn't an idiot. I knew I couldn't save John from everything and everyone. I just didn't want him to have sex with someone he really didn't want to be with. I had seen the damage that choices like that did to people. I didn't want to see John start to think of himself as nothing more than a toy for men with money to play with. I also didn't want him to forget that he was doing this so he could have access to a better life. _

_After the club closed for the night, I checked on Eve at the hospital before going back to my motel. She was scheduled to be released later that evening, and her doctor told me Joe was planning on picking Eve up. I made a mental note to stop by and make sure he did._

_I hardly slept. Every time I started to drift off, I'd wake up, thinking I heard John knocking at the door. I even checked my phone every hour to make sure he hadn't called me. I knew I fucked up saying Adam's name while I was with John, but I didn't think he'd be mad enough at me not to call or come over if he had any problems. _

_He never contacted me. _

_I got up and went back to the hospital. I drove through the parking lot and I saw Joe helping Eve into their car. _

_At least something went right today._

_I went on to the club, knowing John would be there by now. I made my way backstage as soon as I got there. I passed the dividing curtain and found John sitting at one of the vanity dressers rubbing baby oil and glitter on his exposed chest._

_There was a smaller Latino dancer by the curtain. When I came in, he widened his eyes with fear, then quickly looked away out of respect. John glanced back at me and gave me a quick smile, then went back to lathering himself. I wandered over to him and watched him paint his pecs until they glistened and sparkled...like every gay man's dream. _

"Everything alright?" I asked him casually.

_The Latino dancer suddenly took off like my words were trying to shoot at him. I frowned with concern as I tried to understand why he would be so afraid of me._

John saw my expression and explained, "The guys heard you beat the shit outta that Samoan the other night. They don't really know what to think about you now, but they respect that you helped me."

"Right. My anger issues tend to have that effect on people," I mentioned.

John sat back and asked me, "So, are you here for some reason, or did you just wanna watch me Bedazzle my nipples?"

I chuckled and replied, "I came to ask you how things went last night."

John shrugged and told me passively, "It was fine. You were right, it was Teager. He bought me some cool training gear that I can use to build myself up for wrestling. He bought me lobster for dinner. He cooked me a parfait dessert at his super amazing apartment. He even let me drink all I wanted."

I nodded and replied, "That sounds cool."

John nodded and I waited for further details. When he didn't offer them, I asked myself, "Was he good to you, otherwise?"

John's shoulders tensed a little and I took it as a bad sign. I clenched my fists and asked quickly, "What happened?"

Shaking his head, John replied, "Nothing. I mean,_ it _happened, but it was normal. No kinky stuff, just like you said."

I relaxed, but I could tell that there was something John wasn't telling me. I tried to put him at ease by saying, "That's good. I'm glad you had a good time."

"Yeah, me, too," he smiled, still withholding information.

I shifted gears, asking lightly, "I'm assuming you got paid for last night?"

"I got a percentage," John remarked.

My fists clenched again. I asked shortly, "How much?"

John made a frustrated sigh and answered, "Frankly, that's none of your business."

I was surprised he was being so guarded. He shrugged again and told me, "It was enough to pay off all my bills for the next sixth months. I even paid off some of Koslov's debts and we shopped around today. We even went looking at new apartments in a better part of town."

_It became obvious to me that John was stronger than I thought. He was making smart decisions, investing in things that he needed, and he didn't seem the least bit damaged by sleeping with Teager. _

"I'm really happy for you. I'm glad you're doing so well," I said honestly.

_I walked away slowly, hoping John would call me back to him, but he never did. _

* * *

_My focus shifted throughout the night. I tried to get some time to talk with Joe about Eve, but he was busy mingling with clients. I tried to call Eve at home to make sure she was alright, but the bodyguards wouldn't answer the damn phone. I tried to keep watch on John, but he was constantly being taken to the back rooms. _

_I honestly felt like I were invisible._

"Randy?" Bautista tapped me on the shoulder.

He startled me and I whirled around to face him. He snorted laughter and said, "Jesus, man. You're wound up tight tonight, aren't ya?"

"What's going on?" I ignored his joke.

"I need to borrow your cell for a second. Gotta make a local call to my Baby Momma," Bautista said.

_John walked back into the crowd from the back rooms, and I was distracted by him as I pulled out my cell and handed it to Bautista._

"Here. You've got five minutes before I take it back," I warned him.

"Damn, I was so looking forward to calling my investors in Hong Kong," Bautista said sarcastically.

_I still ignored him._

_I watched John go backstage and I decided to follow him. He would probably get mad and tell me to quit being a stalker, but I wanted to let him know he could take a break after catering to clients for almost six hours straight. _

_There was a small bathroom in the far corner backstage, and I knew John was in it because I could hear the water running. I noticed the door was still partially open as I walked up to it, but I put my knuckle out to knock anyway._

_I didn't get a chance to make a sound before I heard John grunt like he was throwing up._

I pushed open the door and saw him clutching the toilet. I stood there in silence and waited for him to finish. He looked up at me and groaned, asking as he flushed the toilet, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Are you alright?" I asked with concern.

John slowly got up and went to the sink. He took handfuls of water and swished it around in his mouth before spitting it out. He did this almost a dozen times and it made me ask again, "You alright?"

He glared at me and stated coldly, "No, I'm not alright! I just sucked so much dick, my gag reflex won't calm down and my mouth tastes like balls!"

I couldn't think of anything to say in response except, "I'm sorry."

John and I stared at each other in silence for over a minute before he whispered, "I didn't cum."

"What?" I asked, confused.

He told me morosely, "Teager was so good to me, but I couldn't get into it. He kept asking me what he could do to get me off, and we tried a few things, but it didn't work."

John's baby blue eyes filled with frustrated tears as he continued, "Teager thought I was just nervous because I was a virgin, but you and I both know that wasn't it. He fucked me like, three times and he even went down on me, and I still didn't cum. It was fucking embarrassing and I told him not to pay me as much because I didn't do what he wanted, but he paid in full. I kind of hate that he did that 'cause it makes me feel worse."

He rubbed his eyes before the tears could come, then he told me angrily, "I fucking hate you for making me care about you! I can't feel anything when I'm not with you! Fucking bastard!"

John rushed me and we collapsed against the door, slamming it closed. We were both breathing heavily from arousal and the heat between us was so intense, we were both starting to sweat. John opened his mouth to take mine, but halted before touching my lips. We locked eyes and he stated, "I can't kiss you because I taste like all the assholes I've been with tonight."

I replied just as boldly, "I don't fucking care what you taste like. I just want to make you want me."

A sudden knock at the door made us both tense up. I asked quietly, "Yeah?"

"Boss wants to see you," Bautista said through the door, his voice oddly quaking.

"I'll be right out," I started.

"_Now_, Randy," Bautista stated, using my real first name.

_I knew then that it was serious. John stepped back behind the door and I opened it to face Bautista. His eyes were bloodshot and I knew they only got that way when he did something really, really bad._

"What the fuck happened, Dave?" I asked darkly.

He told me quickly, "I'm sorry, man, I'm so fucking sorry! I was playing with your phone after I called my wife and I saw you had this crotch shot of a chick with a scar and I thought it was some kind of a porn thing or something, so I showed it to Joe to get a good laugh, but he got all serious and he wants to see you and he looks so fucking pissed!"

_I knew John was hearing all of this. He had seen the scar the first day we were at the hospital with Eve, so it wasn't hard for him to figure out why Joe was pissed. I was grateful that Bautista hadn't figured it out, yet, or he'd stare at Eve in all the wrong places every time he saw her. _

"Alright, I'll deal with it. Where's my phone, now?" I asked.

"Joe's got it. I'm sorry, man, I'm so fucking sorry!" Bautista told me.

_I closed the door to the bathroom and walked off with Bautista. I knew Joe was going to kill me for this. If not, he would hurt me bad enough to make me wish I were dead. I was grateful that my last moments were with John, and he had basically told me in so many words that he felt the same way about me that I did for him. _

_The only thing I regretted was not being able to fuck John, again. _


	8. Chapter 8

8:

_I stepped quietly into Joe's office. He was in a chair in front of his desk, idly twirling my cell phone in his left hand while he watched me with dark eyes. _

"_You know why you're here?" he asked, more as a statement than a question._

"Yeah," I replied, hoping Bautista wasn't listening from the hallway.

Joe stared at me for almost a minute in silence before he said, "Most guys I kill for what I find on your phone, but you, Randy? I know you a long time. I give you the chance to tell me why."

I nodded gratefully and he added, "On your knees; you tell me."

I obediently dropped to my knees and kept my eyes on the floor in shame to appease Joe as I explained, "Eve had a bad scar under her belly. I wanted to take a picture of it to research the reason behind it, but she moved and I ended up getting more than just the scar. No one else was meant to see it, but I made the mistake of letting Dave borrow my phone without thinking about it."

Again, Joe was silent for almost a minute, then he chuckled and said, "I like you, Randy. You make no trust of anyone when you see somethin' you don't like."

I assumed that was some sort of a compliment, but I wasn't sure. Joe handed my phone back to me and stated, "I know you a homo, so my girl on your phone ain't for pleasure. The scar she carry is from an abortion she get before we met. Surgeon was bad an' Eve almost die. Was a miracle she got pregnant again."

I took my phone back and Joe asked, "You ready to die?"

"Yes," I told him, looking straight into his eyes.

He shook his head and replied, "Not today. No bouncers as good as you, but you know I have to punish you somehow."

"I know," I answered.

Joe stood up and ordered me, "Take off yo' shirt."

_I did, and he went around behind me to get to his safe. I knew he was pulling out the nine tailed whip that he brought from Samoa, handed down to him from his father, and I knew he was going to give me a good lashing, then make me walk around for the rest of the night with my back exposed and bleeding as a warning to everyone else not to fuck up._

_It didn't matter, though. I'd take the punishment, if it meant I could have another day with John. _

* * *

_Twenty lashes. Joe must've been tired, because I expected more._

_I walked back out to the club floor, and I instantly caught sight of John on the stage. He saw my back and stopped dancing, but I motioned for him to keep going. He did as I instructed, but I could tell he was upset for me the rest of the night._

_Bautista was the most distraught, but I thought that a big part of it was an act. He just wanted to sympathize with me so I'd tell him who the fuck the chick was. He was a married man on a constant search for new pussy. _

_My back felt like it was burning most of the night, then my muscles started to stiffen as the blood dried. The skin began to itch and I couldn't scratch it, and when it was finally time to go, I practically rushed out of the club to get back to my motel, more out of irritation than pain._

"Randy, wait!" John called to me.

I stopped and waited for him to catch up. He asked me somberly, "Could I go home with you?"

"What about Koslov?" I asked curiously.

"Evan's day off. They'll be together the whole time," John told me.

"Kay," I signaled for him to follow me.

_We drove in silence back to the motel. I kept my back arched so my skin wouldn't touch the leather seat. I could feel John staring at me, but I didn't want to make a deal out of it. We walked past the manager, and he glanced at me, then went back to his newspaper like he had seen damage like that on such a regular basis, it didn't phase him anymore._

"I'm going to take a shower. Help yourself to whatever you want," I told John once we were in the room.

He didn't answer me, but followed me into the bathroom. I frowned at him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I wanna help clean you up," he reached for my jeans.

I pulled away, but he reached for them again, telling me, "Don't be such a baby."

He opened my jeans and carefully tugged them down to my ankles so I could step out of them. He turned on the shower for me and checked the water, then he held the curtain open and said, "Get in."

"What? You don't think I've used a shower before?" I asked dryly.

_John rolled his eyes at me and made sure I was under the water before he undressed himself and joined me. _

"Turn around. I'll wash your back," John said.

I was too tired to argue with him, so I turned around.

_John lathered his hands with soap, then he began the painstaking process of cleaning out every gash. I could feel his fingertips making their way along the edges of each mark, sometimes stopping to go over an area again before moving on. I felt his fingernails gently peeling away loose shreds of skin and working out pieces of dirt and debris. He never once complained or said he felt sick. I knew then that I had underestimated his tolerance level._

"You can rinse off now," he said thickly.

I slowly turned around to face him so that my back could feel the rush of the water. I was clean now, but my back actually hurt worse than when it was dirty and bleeding. I stared into John's baby blues and told him honestly, "Thank you."

_He nodded and stepped closer to me. He didn't try to touch me, but I knew that he desperately wanted to. _

"I wanna fuck you," he said, his eyes filling with hot tears.

"I promise I won't call you Adam again," I told him, inspiring his tears to fall.

_We stepped out of the shower and John helped dry me off. We both stayed naked and went to the bedroom. I lay down on my stomach while John straddled me on top and massaged my wounds with a liquid antibiotic to numb the pain and help me heal. _

_When he finished, he took the lube from the bedside table and rubbed himself wet. I wasn't sure how it would feel, coming from a man with no experience, but he made it in with ease, even taking his time to make sure I felt as little pain as possible._

_John kept himself up on his elbows so he didn't brush up against my back. He ground his hips instead of thrusting, probably to make it easier on me. He used a lot of tenderness, and it gave him the ability to sink in as deeply inside of me as possible, inspiring not only my prostate, but pleasure points I never knew I had. _

_I was actually moaning, something I thought only chicks did. I couldn't remember ever being this impassioned by Adam or anyone else. John wasn't just good, he was damn good, and this was nothing short of the best sex I ever had. _

"John," I started chanting, sensing that I was about to cum.

_He let out a long groan, like he was in pain. I turned my head to one side to see him, but I couldn't tell if he were upset or about to cum as well._

"John?" I asked.

He sank in deep and I felt myself release. I stained the sheets several times over, feeling the strongest orgasm of my life erupt through me like a series of waves. It lingered even as I grinned and told John, "You can keep going."

"Would you do something for me?" he asked quietly.

"Sure," I whispered back.

He gave me his right hand and said, "Would you just squeeze my wrist really hard, like you want to tie me up or something? Make it hurt a little bit, and make it feel real, or I can't finish."

"Okay," I replied, taking his wrist.

_I was used to cuffing people for jail, so I had no trouble squeezing John's wrist hard enough to make it threatening. I didn't want to hurt him, so I used the buildup of pressure to make him think he was experiencing pain, something that was fairly easy to do with the tendons of the wrist._

He let out a startled cry as he came inside of me, like he didn't expect himself to release so soon. I could feel his warm seed fill me up, then he carefully pulled out and let some of it drip down my crack. He groaned in my ear and asked, "You want me to lick up my mess?"

"Give it a few minutes. That way it'll be thick and sticky and it'll take more effort to get off," I replied with a wicked half-smile.

He chuckled and asked me more seriously, "Is this okay? We can stop if it's hurting you."

"I'll tell you when I want to stop," I told him strongly.

_He just smiled at me. _


	9. Chapter 9

9:

The phone woke me up close to noon. I picked it up and asked, "Yeah?"

"Lieutenant?" a man's voice said on the other line.

John was already waking up next to me. I stated over the phone, "Don't call me here, again."

I hung up as quickly as possible. John sighed and asked, "Who was that?"

"No one important," I replied casually.

I climbed on top of him so we could make out for a while. I gave him a series of slow, tender kisses. He seemed to enjoy them at first, then he started fidgeting and I pulled away to ask, "What's the matter?"

"I feel like you're hiding something from me," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You talk to everyone like you want to keep them at arm's length. I love you, but I still feel like you only tell me what you want me to know," John answered.

I nodded and confessed, "You're right, I am hiding something. If I told anyone, it could hurt a lot of people, and I don't want that to happen."

John scoffed and retorted, "That's bullshit and you know it! You don't trust me not to tell anyone!"

He was right. A part of me still didn't know if John could be trusted enough to know the truth. He stared into my eyes and asked, "What is it you're not telling me? Are you a murderer? An assassin? A dentist?"

I gave him a curious look and he added, "I'm serious! Nobody likes the dentist!"

I breathed a long sigh and explained, "I work for the police department."

John blinked like he was startled, then he asked calmly, "You mean you're a cop?"

"I'm a lieutenant, actually," I said.

He stared at me like I was supposed to tell him it was all a joke. I didn't.

"I've been undercover for five years. I'm bouncing the night club until I can find some evidence to take down Joe," I explained.

John scoffed and told me, "You're lying. Lieutenants don't do undercover work."

"This was personal to me. I took Joe's case and I was building on it when my partner and lover was gunned down by his gang," I explained.

"Adam," John breathed, and I nodded to confirm it.

John asked quietly, "Am I part of your plan to take him down?"

"No, I wouldn't do that to you. The Department contacted me about looking into the guy's Joe was hiring to get him if he was doing anything illegal, but all of you had clean rap sheets and were completely documented and legal. If Joe went down for any reason, none of you would go down with him," I explained.

John breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression was still hard as he asked, "What would happen to all of us if Joe was out of business?"

I shook my head and replied, "I don't know that far ahead. I would do everything in my power to get everyone relocated or into witness protection."

"What would happen to me?" John asked quietly.

I told him honestly, "You'll stay with me. I want to be with you, no matter what."

"And what if you're killed in the process of catching Joe? What if he hires someone to kill you? Then what?" John pointed out.

I didn't know how to respond to that. John got up to get out of bed, mumbling over his shoulder, "I have things to do, today. I'll meet you at the club later."

"John, don't leave like this," I started, but he ignored me and left.

* * *

_I drove around for a while to get my head straight. John was right in everything that he said. After Adam's death, I went undercover with the sole purpose of taking Joe down. I wasn't worried about my own life being lost in the process. I knew that people would suffer when he went to jail, but they were not my top priority. I was thinking like a cop: there were plenty of places for the innocent to go after the guilty was gone. They'd be angry at first, then they would thank me when they realized that they were truly free to do as they pleased._

_John had opened my eyes to the fact that my thinking was flawed. I was so focused on Joe, I was ignoring the fact that he had dozens, if not hundreds of people who relied on him to survive, many of them high school dropouts with jaded bodies who would probably end up in drugs or porn. _

_If I were killed in the process, John would probably follow the others. If not, it was hard to imagine how he would fit into my world. He was young, vivacious, and on the path to becoming a professional wrestler. I had already chosen my career path. After Joe, I would be spending most of my time in the office, working through paperwork and attempting to make sense of everything that had happened since I went undercover. I would be working so much overtime, I'd hardly ever see John._

_The biggest upside would be that John wouldn't have to do any more favors for clients. I could get him out of the business before it overwhelmed him. I had the feeling he would still do what he could to make the money he needed for his wrestling career, and it may be more dangerous than the circumstance that he was in now. _

_It was a lot to think about. Before John, I was thinking from my own perspective. Now, I was seeing through his eyes. I was doing all of this for Adam, but he would've never appreciated the idea of me avenging him without considering the consequences of the other players in Joe's game._

I stopped at the club and went inside. Joe was on his usual couch in the room's center, counting his money while the girls danced on-stage. There were only a couple of half-drunk customers and I noticed that Joe didn't even have the day security on watch. I sat down across from him and he stopped counting his cash to ask me, "Why you here so soon?"

"I miss lookin' at the ladies," I answered dryly.

_Maria was dancing center stage in front of Joe and I. She was wearing nothing but a gold thong and a white feather boa as she danced to the techno music in the background. Maria was one of my favorites because she was always funny and upbeat, no matter how bad things were._

"Hi, Keith," she fluttered her fingers at me, using my bouncer name since there were customers around.

I nodded back at her and gave her a big smile. She tossed the boa aside and took a swing around one of the nearby poles. Her perfect tits bounced joyfully as she landed on the other side and giggled. I blew her a kiss and said, "That was beautiful, baby."

_She beamed and continued dancing for me. The only customers were occupied with other girls, and I could tell Maria was bored and I was giving her something to do. She'd make a simple move and I'd clap for her like it was the best I'd ever seen. She'd shake her ass and I'd whistle with approval. She'd bend over so I could see all three doors of that silky archway between her legs, and I'd act like I was about to die of amazement._

_Maria started laughing and I couldn't help smiling myself. The music changed and Maria began making silly dance impressions that were still half modest so Joe wouldn't get mad that we were messing around. I was so busy being entertained by her, I hardly noticed the shadows on the wall of a group of people entering the club._

_The first shot flew past my left ear. It grazed Maria's left side and lodged in the wall behind her. The next shot came halfway after the first, and I rushed for Joe before the next shot rang out._

I shoved him to the floor and yelled at everyone else, "Get down!"

_More shots rang out. I saw one of the customers arch his back like he was hit, then he fell out of his chair and collapsed on the floor in a heap. The Bellas were on either side of the stage and they both jumped down. One Bella hid backstage, while the other cowered on her knees behind some curtains. _

Maria had fallen to her knees and she was holding the gash in her side from the first bullet. The gash wasn't deep, but she was bleeding badly and her eyes were glazed over in shock. I knew Joe would expect me to cover him and not leave his side. Maria was only a few feet away, so I reached out to her and said, "Come here, baby."

_She started crawling toward the edge of the stage. I could hear shots ringing out all around us. Glass was shattering, walls were splintering, furniture was dropping out from under itself. I glanced over the top of the couch and caught sight of four guys. I had a split second to develop a profile before I ducked back down._

_They were Samoan. All dressed in black. They had no hard ammunition, just basic hand guns. They were mostly emptying their clips into the walls and the customized lighted glass features that made the club shine at night. From what I had gathered, they weren't trying to move around the room to find any human targets, even though they had plenty of chances to do so. _

_It wasn't the profile I expected. In fact, it was downright ridiculous. These guys weren't in this to kill. I felt a twinge of disappointment as I realized that it was very unlikely Joe would die today._

Maria was struggling to get off the stage. I was worried that she would be hit by a stray bullet or falling glass, so I told Joe, "I'm going to get Maria," and rushed over to grab her.

She climbed on my back and wrapped her arms around my neck so I could crawl us both back to Joe. He pointed at the stack of money on the table and told me, "They here for my money!"

_I let Maria slide off my back to the floor and I took off my shirt so I could put it over her wound. I put her hand in place to keep pressure on the gash, then I turned around to grab the money off of the table. _

_One of the guys came around the couch at the same time and reached for the stack. I kicked him in the knee and he went down fast. I grabbed his gun and shot him between the eyes without thinking. _

_Using the couch as a shield, I came up on it and pointed my gun, aiming and shooting in three swift takes. _

The rest of the guys went down. I made sure they were out before I told Joe, "It's clear."

He nodded at the entrance and asked, "Are more comin'?"

I already knew this wasn't a professional job, but I checked the door for several seconds anyway before I shook my head and answered, "This was it."

Joe stood up and helped Maria into the couch. I went to the entrance and started to close it when I heard someone shout from the sidewalk, "What's going on?"

I glanced outside and saw that it were John. He was by himself and he looked shocked like he had heard the noise from the shootout. He saw the gun in my hand and stopped short of the door, asking, "What did you do?"

He thought I had come for Joe. I shook my head and told him, "Four guys just came in here and opened fire. One of the girls is hurt. I need you to call the police."

John nodded and I called to Joe inside, "It's J.C.!"

I let John in and he froze as soon as he saw the three bodies by the door. I took out my cell phone and handed it to him, saying quickly, "Call them now."

_John obediently dialed 9-1-1. His hands were shaking and his voice was halted as he asked for an ambulance and gave them the address. I watched Joe grab his money off of the table and stuff it into a gym bag. He rushed to his back office to put it in his safe. I looked down and realized I was still holding the hand gun. I probably could have shot Joe myself and played it off that he was killed during the shooting, but it was too late, now. I stuffed it into the back of my jeans and waited for John to finish the call so he could hand me back my phone._

When he did, I asked him calmly, "Was Koslov busy?"

"What?" he blinked.

"Koslov. I was wondering if he were busy," I said.

"I don't know. Why are you asking me about Koslov?" John asked.

I explained neutrally, "It's a little early for you to be at the club, but I've seen you here early in the past when Koslov is busy."

"Oh. Right. Uh...no, I don't think he's busy. I just came by to talk to Joe," he said.

_My cop instincts were telling me that something wasn't right. If I didn't know John, I would've assumed that he knew how much money Joe had in the safe, and he had been coming by early to scope the place before hiring some thugs to take the money and disguise the attack as a homeland retaliation against Joe._

_John did know how much money was in the safe. He saw that the first day he was hired, when I incidentally showed him the combination. I had also caught him coming into the club early, which meant he could find out when the slowest times were to make a move. John didn't act like the type who wanted to shoot anybody, but the club was making him enough money to hire thugs if he wanted to. He also happened to show up just after the shooting, and he was acting as scattered as someone who had seen more than just the aftermath. To an investigator, John was guilty about something._

"Why don't you sit down and watch Maria. I need to go find the Bella Twins and make sure they're alright," I said.

_John nodded and slowly made his way over to Maria. I stayed as calm as possible, even giving him a reassuring look as I passed him._

_I wanted to ignore my instincts. I had made a potentially fatal mistake telling him I was undercover, and my entire case against Joe could be completely lost, but that wasn't the worst part._

_If my instincts were right, I would have to live with the fact that I, a decorated officer of the law, loved and trusted a criminal enough to bet my life on him. _


	10. Chapter 10

10:

_It was awkward facing my fellow officers, again. _

_Some of them were fresh fish that I had never even met. Those that knew me interviewed me like they would anyone else. There was no time for chit-chat and catching up. They were investigating the murder of four men in Joe's club, and as always, there was no evidence to indicate Joe was in the wrong._

_They took Maria to the hospital. The Bellas went with her. I was worried about John because he still seemed overly upset about the whole thing. It was making him look too guilty and I was sure someone would ask to take him to the Department._

"Sir, would you mind coming with us to answer a few more questions?" a young, cocky officer asked me.

I didn't recognize him, and he probably had no clue who I was. I nodded and he turned to John nearby, asking him as well, "Would you also come with us, sir? We have a few more questions for you."

"Why J.C.?" Joe immediately countered.

They were already escorting him outside, so I whispered quickly to Joe, "They just want to take him to make you sweat. Don't worry about it, I'll get him back safe."

"Don't let him say nothin'," Joe warned, and I nodded that I understood.

_We were driven to the Department in different cars. I knew as soon as I walked in those doors, I would be recognized, so I had the cocky officer put me in handcuffs to show anyone who knew me that I was still undercover. He was more than happy to do it, because it made him look all big and bad. _

_It worked, and I got nothing more than passing glances. Cocky officer had John and I sitting together in front of his desk. It was a rookie mistake, but I wanted John nearby, so I didn't argue about it. The officer handed us paperwork to fill out, including our statements. I pretended to struggle with filling mine out. It felt very civilian of me._

_The lieutenant's office was just across the room. While I was undercover, a man named Charles Punk had taken my place. I had heard rumors that he was a great leader, but he was also the type who wanted things done his way, and he'd tell you to your face if he didn't like it._

As if he knew I were thinking about him, Charles came out of his office and spotted me, immediately. He came over to the cocky officer's desk and stated, "Excuse me, Cody, but I'm going to need to talk to this suspect in private."

Punk pointed directly at me. Cocky officer, now known as Cody, made a curious face and asked, "Are you sure you need him, sir? He hasn't even filled out a statement, yet."

With a wry smile, Punk replied curtly, "Yes, I need him. He can fill out his statement, later. Since he works for Samoa Joe, we can probably throw out the statements because they're going to be made of lies, anyway."

_Cody's eyes went wide with surprise, but Punk ignored him and pulled me by my arm out of my chair, escorting me roughly back to his office. He was trying to make it look like I was on Joe's side to anyone who were watching us, but I knew some of his hostility was meant for me, personally._

He pulled me into his office and shoved me into an empty chair. As soon as he closed the door, he started in on me, "Do you have any idea how long you've been out?"

"Five years," I answered.

He sat on the edge of his desk so he could face me better as he argued, "Do you think anyone in their right mind stays undercover for five years? Only spies in the movies do that, Randal!"

I hated when he called me Randal. I shrugged and replied, "I understand that it's a long time, but I'm getting closer to Joe by the day. This shoot-out may be just the lead I need."

Punk ran his hand through his greasy hair and sighed. He told me gruffly, "I want you back in the Department."

"You don't like playing Boss?" I joked dryly.

He stared at me point blank and replied, "It's not about leadership, Randal. You've got nothing on Joe and you never will. He's a perfectionist when it comes to clean up."

"Like I said, the shoot-out may be a lead," I assured him.

Punk scoffed and asked, "What are you trying to prove, here? That you can take down this guy on account of a few dudes who tried to retaliate? He'll get a couple of years, tops. If you want to put him away, you'll have to dig deeper, Randal, and that is a risk I'm not willing to let you take."

"Give me a week. I'll look into the shoot-out, and if I come up with nothing, we can argue some more," I offered.

Punk shook his head and I added, "If you had been on a case this long, there's no way you would let someone take it out from under you. Don't do to me what I know you're thinking of doing."

He was quiet as he pondered, then he finally nodded and said, "Alright, we'll do it your way, but if you don't find something soon that tells me this is worth it, I'm calling the higher ups and they'll pull you out no matter what."

"Thank you," I half-smiled.

"Don't thank me. You're on borrowed time," Punk informed me.

* * *

_It was hours before we were free to go. John looked exhausted, so I took him to a diner a few blocks away. It was a quiet, hole-in-the-wall place, and I thought it would be the perfect location for me to talk to John and find out more about what was going on._

He ate quietly and watched the traffic go by. I waited for him to say something first, but when he didn't offer, I finally asked, "You seem upset. What's the matter?"

John's cheeks went red as he answered sheepishly, "I've never seen a dead body, before."

I knew what it was like to meet the dead for the first time. I reassured him, "They knew what was coming to them when they went into the club. Still, I didn't make them suffer."

John blinked with surprise and asked, "You shot all of them?"

"Yeah. I pulled a gun from one of them and took them all down," I confessed.

John swallowed hard and explained softly, "When I saw you with the gun, I thought you had killed Joe."

"I'll admit, I thought about it. I also thought about what you said before I met up with Joe, and if he goes down, a lot of people will go with him," I replied.

John nodded and said solemnly, "There are some things I need to tell you."

"Go ahead," I urged him.

He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before he confessed, "I've been weird all day because I don't want Joe to know what I saw."

"What did you see?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I parked on the street and I was walking towards the club when I saw a black van in the parking lot. I noticed the driver right away. He was that Samoan guy that tried to whip my ass; the one you beat up."

I nodded firmly and John continued, "I hid behind a car because I didn't want him to see me. I thought he had come back to beat my ass again, but then I saw the four guys get out of the van, and they were the ones who went inside and started shooting."

_It made total sense. The Samoan was pissed that I made him look bad, and he was coming back for revenge. He probably hired some thugs that couldn't be traced back to him so Joe would never know exactly who arranged the hit. I knew the Samoan wouldn't be stupid enough to kill Joe. He probably asked the thugs to just waste a bunch of bullets to scare everyone and take a bit of money as their cut. _

"What happened to the Samoan?" I asked John intently.

He frowned and answered, "We could both hear the gunshots, then there were some shots in a row and it was quiet. I guess the Samoan knew that his guys were down, because he peeled out of the parking lot and took off."

"Did he see you when he drove out?" I asked.

"Maybe. I was so stunned, I forgot to hide," John answered.

If the Samoan had spotted him, it meant that John could be in danger. I explained to him carefully, "We need to take precautions in case he did see you. You'll stay with me for a while, and you'll have to tell Joe everything you know."

"But won't Joe kill that guy?!" John blurted.

Thankfully, there was no one around. I hushed him and explained quietly, "If you don't say anything, the Samoan will be free to hunt you down. He could even walk into the club and find you if he wanted to, but if Joe knows the truth, he's not coming near you or anyone else we know."

John nodded slowly, but he was obviously upset about symbolically signing someone's death warrant. He asked me curiously, "What did they want to talk to you about in that office?"

I sat back and answered honestly, "They want to pull me off this case."

"What? You're leaving?!" John yelled.

"Keep your voice down! They're not taking me out just yet!" I argued, and John went quiet.

I explained my week long extension, and John asked, "If I give you some more information on Joe, would that help your case?"

"What do you have on Joe that I don't already know?" I returned.

John looked away like it was hard for him to say it, "He's thinking about putting some of the boy and girl dancers together and making a few amateur porn films."

"I'd like to say I'm shocked, but Joe's always looking for something shady to make easy money," I replied.

John lightened up a little that I didn't react badly, but his smile faded again and he told me, "I want to tell you about some other stuff, but it's not really important to your case."

"Tell me, anyway. I want to know," I said.

John made a deep sigh and replied, "Joe's been asking me to come to the club early, sometimes. He likes to watch me jerk myself off, and sometimes he makes me give him blow jobs."

I was stunned into silence. John continued quietly, "I think he does it just to establish his dominance, but he also had me sleep with Eve once."

It took all I had to stay calm as I asked, "When did that happen?"

John tried to remember as he answered, "It was before she lost the baby. Joe made me go to the house and see her. He said she was depressed and needed someone to cheer her up. I guess she picked me out of the guys because she was really happy to see me. We talked for a long time, and she told me a lot of stuff, even stuff I can't tell you. She has it really bad for you, though."

I nodded and John continued, "I only fucked her because Eve wanted me to, and because she was worried about what Joe would do to me if I didn't. I've never done a pregnant chick, before, so I just did whatever she wanted because I didn't want to hurt her or anything. It was fine, but I think we were both thinking about you the whole time."

"Is that why you were mothering her at the hospital?" I asked curiously.

John scoffed and replied, "I wasn't mothering her. I was just trying to be nice. She doesn't have anyone to talk to unless Joe allows it, so I'm like, her only friend at the moment."

I pondered quietly and John became anxious, asking, "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm just trying to think. I had no clue there was so much going on between you and Joe, or you and Eve, for that matter," I told him.

John explained, "I'm sorry, I know I should've told you sooner, but I thought you were hiding things from me, too. After you told me who you really are, though, I knew I could trust you."

He beamed at me and I just rolled my eyes. He glanced out the window again as he asked casually, "So what are we gonna do, now?"

"We'll go back to the club, and you tell Joe what you know," I said.

"Do you think he'll rape me?" John asked suddenly.

I blinked a few times to gather my thoughts before I answered, "I doubt it."

John bit his lower lip and told me, "That Samoan guy told me some dark things he wanted to do to me. He was even threatening to kidnap me and take me back to his place, where he said he could do more stuff to me. I don't know if you knew that. He said it a long time before you came in."

I shook my head and explained, "I won't let anything happen to you. He'll be dead by morning once word gets out that he tried to cross Joe."

"Yeah, I guess," John said, but I could tell he was still nervous about it.


	11. Chapter 11

11:

_John spent the better part of an hour inside Joe's office. I waited outside, but listened to make sure that Joe was hearing everything John said. I knew Joe well enough to know that he would put a hit out on the Samoan as soon as we were gone._

As soon as John came out, I put my hands on his head and asked him, "Did you tell him everything you saw?"

"Yeah," John replied quietly.

"Good boy," I said thickly, stealing a kiss.

When he pulled away, I asked, "You want to come home with me?"

John sported a wry smile and answered, "Let's just do it in the car. I'm really horny."

I said with a short whistle, "Now that's hot."

* * *

_It was easy once we found a secluded area to do our business. John put his seat all the way back and rolled over so he was on all fours. I propped myself up behind him and soon we were caked in each other's sweat and moaning in rhythmic time, breathing hard enough to put a dense fog on the windows. _

John stopped responding so much about mid-way through, so I slowed down and asked him, "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?"

He turned his head to look at me and replied, "No, it feels good."

"What's wrong, then?" I asked, stopping completely.

He seemed embarrassed to tell me, "I'm just...I was wondering if you had any handcuffs."

"Handcuffs?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. I mean, you're a cop and everything. It would be hot if you like, restrained me with handcuffs, like I'm a bad guy and you're teaching me a lesson or something," John said.

"Oh. I didn't realize you wanted to role-play," I mentioned.

He blushed and responded sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I just like fooling around sometimes."

I pressed my lips to his ear and told him, "Don't be sorry, I want you to enjoy yourself."

_He chuckled and I opened the middle hatch, pulling out a pair of handcuffs that I carried in case of emergencies. John groaned with excitement as I cuffed his left wrist, wrapped the cuffs around the back seat belt, then restrained his right wrist. I yanked the seat belt so it would lock, making it harder for John to move freely._

"You have the keys for these, right?" he asked.

They were still in the hatch, but I lied and told him thickly, "No."

_I started thrusting more strongly this time, taking a chunk of John's hair in my fingertips so I could pull on it a little bit. _

* * *

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked him during a rest period.

_We had come back to my place after the car and we had sex four more times. John topped me once, but the other three were mine, and since he responded so well with the handcuffs on in the car, I decided to attach him to a chair when we did it in the kitchen, the broken space heater when we did it in the main room, and I had him stand while I attached him to the exposed pipe in my bedroom so I could tease him a while before I went in._

"You don't think I'm weird for liking it rough, do you?" he asked it like I was going to yell at him.

I shrugged and replied, "I've seen weird, and you're not even close."

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

"For what?" I asked.

He took the handcuffs out from underneath me and inspected them as he answered, "For not making me feel weird."

I stared at him for a minute in silence while he fooled around with the handcuffs. His blue eyes were almost an exact match of the sky peeping in through the windows. He had this goofy look on his face like he was probably thinking of something dumb and he was debating whether he should laugh out loud about it or not. He was lying naked on his stomach and his ass looked remarkably huge from that angle. I sat up and gave him a quick spank as a joke, but he groaned and said, "Oh, do that again."

I smacked the other cheek, and John moaned like it was making him hard. He told me, "Again."

Assuming it was another game, I straddled him and spanked him a few more times. I wasn't using a lot of force, but it was enough to turn his cheeks red. I stopped when I thought I was through, and John argued with me, "Do it some more!"

"If I do it anymore, you won't be able to sit down!" I countered with a smile, still thinking it were a joke.

John frowned and told me, "You're no fun."

It took me a few seconds to realize he actually wanted me to hurt him. I asked quietly, "What game are you playing?"

"I'm not playing anything," John mumbled.

I rolled over on my side to look at him. He wouldn't match my gaze, so I asked him point blank, "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just like it rough, that's all," John replied passively.

I knew he wasn't telling me everything, but he didn't look like he was willing to tell me why. I suddenly grabbed his arm and held it back the same way I was trained to do to subdue a criminal. The move was designed to cause a lot of pain, and John felt it right away. He cried out and yelled at me, "What the hell are you doing?"

"You said you like it rough!" I argued.

"STOP!" John screamed.

I let go immediately. He sat up and grabbed his arm as he scooted away from me, asking angrily, "What was that for?"

"You said you liked it rough. I wanted to know how much was too much," I said.

He scoffed at me and shot back, "Liar! You were just trying to show me that you'd stop if I wanted you to so I'll trust you and tell you why I like it rough!"

I was surprised at how well he could figure me out. Not even Adam was that observant.

"Are you going to tell me?" I asked deliberately.

"It's not important!" he stated.

He sat back against the headboard and huffed at me. I lay back down to rest and said, "Well, you can trust me, and when you're ready to tell me, I'll be right here."

* * *

_I fell asleep while waiting for John to say something. I slept most of the day away, and when I woke up again, John was gone and it was time for me to head back to Joe's club._

_I showered, dressed and ate, thinking about John the whole time. I knew I was too hard on him earlier, and I would once again be apologizing to him for being a jerk. I was almost to the club when I remembered that Maria was probably still in the hospital, so I turned around and went back to check up on her._

_It took me 20 minutes to find a nurse who wasn't too busy to talk to me, and another 15 minutes to figure out that Maria had gotten stitches and checked out of the hospital hours ago. I sighed with frustration and got back in the car to head to the club, cursing myself for not just going to the club first and asking Joe about it when I got inside._

_As soon as I got close to the club, I knew something was wrong._

_It looked closed up, like no one was there. Joe always kept the doors open, and there was almost always a line to get in. I pulled into the parking lot and I saw a dozen other cars, confirming the place wasn't closed. I came in through the back entrance and checked backstage. No one was there, and I could hear muffled voices in the main room._

_I peeked through the curtain and saw everyone standing around like they had only recently been interrupted. I glanced at all the faces, and I recognized everyone. Joe was talking in hushed tones to Bautista and Koslov, but there was no sign of any present danger, so I came out into the crowd._

Joe caught sight of me and shook his head. I came close and asked, "What happened?"

"The Samoan. He call himself Rock. He come in and take J.C. Right off the stage," Joe told me.


	12. Chapter 12

12:

_Despite the fact that his most prized possession had been stolen, Joe still kept the night club open and gave his clients a discount for not being able to enjoy the star of the show. I expected nothing less, and while Joe was occupied, I used his office to contact anyone and everyone who might have a clue as to where the Samoan who called himself Rock had taken my John._

_Witness reports were inconclusive. Most of the clients were distracted when Rock came in, and even Joe was busy with other things, which is what made it so easy for Rock to snatch John right out of the place without anyone noticing right away. Bautista wasn't aware that Rock had organized the shoot-out, so he had let Rock in without another thought, and Rock had left with John out the back way, so Bautista assumed they had just gone to a back room and would return any minute. It was Koslov who recognized Rock as an issue and reported it to Joe minutes after John was taken. The only reason Koslov knew was because John had told him about the time when Rock tried to whip the shit out of John and I whipped the shit out of Rock._

_Joe had already told me that Rock belonged to a group who once ruled the area. I thought that, with them being previous owners, I could get people to talk, but this idea proved reckless. Most of the people I contacted were still scared, and either refused to mention the so-called Rock, or spoke of him like he were a model citizen. Only one person gave me a lead when he revealed that Rock was actually named Dwayne Johnson and lived on the East Side of town. _

_Tracking down an address was impossible. As far as public record was concerned, Dwayne Johnson on the East Side was a 34-year-old white car salesman. I did a search for Rocky Johnson out of curiosity, and I didn't find an address, but I did find registration for a van._

_I had remembered John mentioning that Rock was in a van when he let out the thugs to shoot up Joe's place. The Samoan may have been smart enough to organize a shoot-out, but I was hoping he wasn't smart enough to ditch the van when things went sour._

_After the club closed for the night, I asked Bautista to ride with me to the East Side. He was not so willing until I bribed him with two night's worth of pay. _

"So what are we looking for, exactly?" Bautista asked gruffly.

_I knew his bad mood was because he was tired. I was too, but I knew sleeping meant wasting vital time. At this point, I assumed that Rock was aware of Joe's greed and hadn't taken John for a random payout. He had either taken John to finish what he started the night he tried to whip John, or he saw John when he peeled out of the parking lot after the shoot-out, and he intended to kill John so there would be no witnesses linking Rock to the crime._

"We're looking for a blue van. It has a custom license plate that says ROCKY D," I explained.

"Rocky D.? What, is that like, a name or something?" Bautista snorted.

"Yeah, actually, it is. The Samoan calls himself Rock, but his real name is Dwayne," I said.

Bautista snorted again and called out, "Lame!"

"What? Your real name is Dave," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's way cooler than Dwayne," he returned.

_I had the idea that Rock had probably stayed awake after he took John, so he would most likely be at a diner or doughnut shop that was open before 5AM. Luckily, there were only four shops on the East Side that opened that early, and they were all within a few blocks from each other._

"So, are we scoping out a doughnut shop because you're planning on buying me breakfast?" Bautista joked as we passed the first one.

There was no sign of the van. I gave Bautista a hard stare and told him, "I'll get you something to eat when I damn well feel hungry."

"Bitch," Bautista grumbled.

We went past the second place, a small corner diner, but again, there was no sign of the van. I cursed under my breath and kept moving. Bautista talked to pass the time, "So I'm still sorry about getting you in trouble with that picture and all. Joe whipped you up good and I know never to show him your phone again."

I was busy focusing on the upcoming third stop as I replied passively, "The picture was of a girl he knew. He thought I was sleeping with her but I proved I wasn't."

"How'd you do that? Did you tell him you're gay or something?" Bautista asked.

He was joking, but I couldn't help replying, "Yes, that's exactly what I said."

Bautista's eyes widened and he stumbled to say, "Oh well, yeah...that's...that's cool...I mean...uh...if you like dick and shit..."

"You are such a homophobe," I told him for the hundredth time.

As always, he argued with me, stating dramatically, "I am not! I'm just into girls and I assume the guys I meet are, too!"

"Phobe," I teased him.

He glared at me and pointed out my window, stating simply, "There's your van."

_I slammed on the brakes and almost sent Bautista through the windshield. It was the third doughnut stop, and the only vehicle in customer parking was a blue van with the same license plate I had described: ROCKY D._

"Holy shit," I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Should we park next to it?" Bautista asked.

I scoffed at him and stated, "Have you ever done this before?! You don't park next to your suspect!"

Bautista argued with me, "Well, you should do something quick, 'cause he's about to leave!"

_I looked back just as Rock walked out of the shop carrying a bag of doughnuts and a single coffee. Seeing only one cup in his hand made my stomach turn._

_John could already be dead._

_Rock saw me and froze. For a good ten seconds, we just stared at each other._

_Then he took off running for the van._

I swung the car around and blocked him so he couldn't get out. Rock tossed the doughnuts into the car and dropped his coffee as he reached for his keys. Bautista and I got out and I told Dave, "Get Rock alive. Joe will want him."

_Bautista nodded and went for Rock. The Samoan sprinted for the back of the doughnut shop at an amazingly fast speed for his size. Bautista took off after him, and I stayed behind to inspect the van._

_I glanced into the doughnut shop to make sure the owners weren't calling the police. I didn't see anyone and assumed they hadn't noticed anything was wrong, yet. I checked the back door of the van, thinking it would probably be locked, but it opened easily. _

_Rock obviously didn't think kidnapping was that big of a deal. _

_I slowly opened the doors, half-expecting to find nothing at all. I saw John's body on the floor of the van, and I held my breath._

_His shirt was missing and his skin looked pale white. His jeans were still intact, but they were wrinkled, like they might have been taken off and put back on. His wrists and ankles were chained together by a rusty assembly that was attached to the side of the van. John's mouth was duct taped and his eyes were covered with a bandana. He didn't respond when I opened the doors and he didn't appear to be moving or breathing._

_I rushed into the van and immediately checked for a pulse. It was faint, but he was alive. I gave him a quick glance and saw no signs that he was battered beyond a few bruises and scrapes, probably from trying to fight off Rock when he was first taken. I took the bandana off and pulled the tape from John's lips, then I turned him over on his back so he could breathe better._

He was hardly responsive. I tapped his cheeks and said, "John? John. It's me, it's Randy."

_John weakly opened his eyes, but they were glazed over and he didn't seem to recognize me. I searched for a key to unlock his chains, and I noticed Rock had dropped his keys on the driver's seat. I unlocked John from his ties and tried to sit him up, but he was too incoherent to be up on his own._

"I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry," I whispered to him, kissing his forehead.

Bautista appeared in the driver's side window and made a frustrated sigh as he told me, "I lost him."

"You fucking lost him?" I argued.

"Sorry, man, but he was damn fast," Bautista put up his hands in defeat.

I ignored Bautista's uncanny ability to always fail me whenever I needed him and said, "I found J.C."

"Is he dead?" Bautista asked after giving John a once-over.

"No, but I think he's been drugged up with something strong. We should take him to a hospital," I explained.

"Run me home, first. I don't want to stick around in a white room all day. Hospitals freak me out," Bautista stated.

* * *

_I didn't mind taking Bautista home, because it meant I could use my cop status to get John the best care at the hospital. I told the doctors he was a suspect and he needed to be cleaned up quickly so I could bring him in for questioning. After checking up on my Lieutenant status, they were more than willing to get John clean fast._

I called Joe to tell him that John was in good hands and Rock was still at large, Joe informed me, "I put a hit on Rock at sunrise. He'll be out soon."

_I had already called in a favor to have Rock's van repossessed. I passed the information along to Joe in case Rock decided to try and steal his custom plates back. _

"Boy ain't so smart. He think he can brush past me and get away with the star of my show? No pennies; no cents," Joe stated.

I laughed and told him, "Don't underestimate him, Joe. He may not be great at committing crimes, but he's quick on his feet."

"Yeah, so's I know," Joe replied.

_I hung up with Joe and waited for updates on John. It was a couple of hours before a dark haired doctor with a stained lab coat came to find me. He took me back to John's room, where John was hooked up to several monitors and appeared to be asleep._

"How long until he wakes up?" I asked softly.

"Maybe a few hours. The heroin hasn't completely cleared his system," the doctor told me.

"Heroin?" I asked, shocked.

He nodded and explained, "It appears that your suspect was given a very high dose of heroin, most likely to subdue him. He is very lucky; most people slip into a coma or die from an overdose of this kind, but you brought him in just in time."

"Was there anything wrong with him? Any signs of assault?" I asked, bracing myself.

The doctor made a short sigh and answered quietly, "We did notice some anal bleeding."

I swallowed hard, but the doctor informed me, "It could be a side effect of the overdose, but we did perform a rape kit on him anyway. The results were inconclusive. He did have anal intercourse within the last twenty-four hours, but there were no obvious signs that it wasn't consensually based."

The doctor looked away and I knew he was thinking but didn't want to tell me what was on his mind. I asked him outright, "What else could have caused the bleeding?"

With a slight frown, the doctor explained, "I have had cases where patients were sodomized by an object, such as a beer bottle, with minimal bleeding and almost no sign of assault. Sometimes, even inserting a finger can cause the same kind of result, if the finger was not properly lubricated or used in a violent way."

I stared at John as I asked the doctor, "Will he be traumatized by this incident?"

The doctor made another sigh and explained, "It's hard to tell at this point. He was possibly drugged when anything...if anything happened to him. Heroin is a very unbalanced drug and causes a wide range of side effects. Your suspect probably will have no memory of what's happened in the last several hours. He may not remember some details of what's happened in the last several days because of the high dose he was administered. Despite his conscious lack of awareness, his unconscious may have picked up sensations that may manifest in his consciousness without warning."

"So, if something happened to him, he could potentially become unstable now or in the near future," I surmised.

"Potentially, yes. Again, it's hard to tell. It is largely dependent on what happened, how much of it was absorbed into his mind, and how he attempts to cope with it," the doctor told me.

_I was silent as I pondered John's current condition. The doctor took my silence as a sign I was finished and he left. I went into John's room and sat down next to the doorway, guarding it in case Rock somehow found out we were here._

_No one was going to touch him. Not while I was around. _


	13. Chapter 13

13:

"Hey, Baby," I said to John as soon as he opened his eyes.

He let out a light chuckle and replied softly, "I thought that's what you call your girls."

"Well, I feel like saying it to you, now," I surmised, kissing him on the forehead.

I knew the doctors would be coming in soon, so I explained quickly, "I told everyone you're a suspect so they'll release you, soon. I'm gonna take you home and you can rest for the next couple of days. I tried to get more time, but Joe needs you."

John nodded like Joe's reaction was expected, then he looked up at me as his eyes filled with tears and the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks.

"It's okay, it's okay. I found you, I found you," I tried to soothe him, kissing his forehead again.

John began to sob and I held him as long as I could, expecting the doctors to interrupt us any minute. Thankfully, they didn't, and I was able to hold John as long as he needed me.

When his tears softened, he looked up at me and said, "I don't want to work for Joe, anymore."

"I know you don't. I want to get you out of this, too, but I need a little more time. I think Rock will try to come back for you and I think I can get both he and Joe arrested-"

John clutched me and blurted in a panic, "Rock is coming back for me? He's coming back?!"

It became glaringly clear that John had been abused by the Samoan, and judging from the level of his fear, the abuse was strong enough to traumatize him.

"What did he do to you, John?" I asked softly.

The doctor walked in at that moment, and I was forced to let go of John. He kept his eyes on me the whole time, even when the doctor was trying to ask him questions. When the doctor finally cleared him to leave, John had basically shut down and I knew it would take some time before he was willing to open up again.

* * *

The next two days were rough for John. He would fall asleep for short periods of time, but he spent most hours wide awake. He went into an excessive cleaning mode and restored my apartment to make it look better than it had when it was first built.

I always had to be where he could see me, and if I absolutely had to go out of his sight, such as to use the bathroom, he'd wait outside the door for me. He would let me touch him and he'd shower with me, but he didn't show any interest in sex. He even seemed uncomfortable if I tried to kiss him for too long.

When it came time for us to return to the club, John was more anxious than ever. He kept asking me, "You'll be there, right?"

"Always. I'll even stay in the hallway if you have to go to a back room with someone. I won't let you out of my sight," I reassured him.

He asked me a dozen times on the way to the club, and I always answered the same, but he still seemed unconvinced. Even as we walked through the door, John seemed startled by all the people and he looked at me pleadingly as he said, "I want to go."

I hated seeing him like this. I opened my mouth to say we could leave, but Joe came up and pulled John into a hug, telling him, "I'm glad to see you, J.C."

"Thank you, sir," John mumbled, pulling away uncomfortably.

Joe pointed at the stage and said, "Don' you be worried now, J.C. Rock flee the country, he ain't showin' his face here, again."

"He's gone?!" John blurted.

Joe gave him a curious glance as he replied, "I put a hit on him. He's wise to move on."

I didn't respond, but my instincts told me that something wasn't right. When people crossed Joe, they were killed. Rock's skills and family ties made me think he had a legitimate chance of getting away from Joe for longer than most, but even the dumbest fugitive knows that trying to flee the country never works.

Either Joe was lying because he found Rock and hadn't killed him yet, or Rock wasn't the reckless son of a former mob boss that Joe played him out to be.

"Come on, J.C., let's get you ready for the show," I said, leading him backstage.

John nodded goodbye to Joe and followed me to the back. Koslov was the only other person there and I was grateful for that, because I was about to do something very stupid and I needed to know John would be safe.

"Do you trust me, Koslov?" I asked him point blank.

He nodded without hesitation. I handed John over to him and stated, "I want you both to take my car and drive until you're out of the city. You're going to take my cell phone and call a contact on there named Kelly. She will keep you safe."

"What are you doing?" John asked suspiciously.

I told Koslov, "You have to get John out of here, no matter how hard he fights it. If you want him to stay alive, you will do as I ask."

"Randy, don't! Don't, please!" John tried to grab me.

I shoved him back into Koslov's arms. John fought as hard as he could, but Koslov was too strong and covered his mouth to keep him quiet. I tossed my cell phone and keys to Koslov and he led John out the backdoor. The last thing I saw was the light reflecting behind John's soft blue eyes as he realized I was about to die for him.

I stood there for several minutes to make sure John and Koslov had a chance to get away before I made my way to Joe's office. I didn't have to search for proof that Joe and Rock were working together. I doubted there would be any for me to find. All I wanted was the gun in the bottom drawer of Joe's desk. It almost felt unreal as I picked it up to put it in the back of my jeans. I reached down to close the drawer and noticed something unusual that made me stop.

A picture of Adam.

It was an old instant Polaroid picture that had been hidden underneath the gun, so I had never noticed it, before. I picked up the picture and stared at it. Adam's face was covered in blood and it were obvious he was dead. There were two men with handguns on either side of Adam holding him up by his blood drenched hair, and one of them was Joe. The other was Rock.

Rock wasn't the son of a random former mob boss. The smile and the eyes were uncanny side-by-side. Rock was_ Joe's_ son.

Father and son killed my partner. Father hired me to be his bitch for five years, counting his money and keeping him happy in hopes that I could stop him. It was clear to me now that he had always known who I really was, which was why I could never find any evidence on him. I assumed that Rock's games against John were brought upon by Joe. They both realized I would do anything for John after I kicked Rock's ass when he tried to hurt John. The shoot-out and the kidnapping where probably orchestrated for me, but I was late when the kidnapping happened, so Rock purposefully stayed nearby to make sure I tracked him down.

There was a knock at the door of the office and Joe asked on the other side, "You figure it out yet, Randy?"

"Yeah," I answered morosely.

Joe opened the door and stepped inside. He hadn't bothered to bring backup because he didn't see me as a threat. He closed the door behind him and asked me casually, "You know why I torment you?"

"Adam and I were getting too close. You probably wanted to kill us both, but I became useful to you, so you let me stick around," I surmised.

Joe shrugged and replied, "I feel bad, killin' your love an' leavin' you alive. I was gunnin' for you. You was the one with my police file. You was the one investigatin' me. I seen what you are. You a smart one. You could take me down, Randy. I don't say that 'bout no one but you."

"Why bring John into this? He's just a kid," I said.

"Tha' was Rock's play. I like J.C., but Rocky don't. He get not right in the head sometimes, when he see someone get my attention. He take him and beat around your boy and put a finger in to tease his ass, but Rock never fuck your boy. Rock think hurting your boy would scare you straight. He don't know what it means to love someone so much, you kill the ones who hurt dem. He think you won't do it 'cause you never come for us for hurting Adam."

I pulled the gun and pointed it at Joe. He smiled darkly and told me, "You never get outta here alive, Randy."

"I told Adam I would put you in prison. He was afraid I would try to kill you first, and I believe that's why he went to see you," I started.

"He say not much before I shoot him," Joe shrugged.

I continued strongly, "He died trying to protect you from me. You killed the only cop in the country who didn't want to kill you."

"What you getting at, Randy? He dead; no matter," Joe stated.

I narrowed my eyes at him and explained, "Adam wasn't afraid that I would gun you down. He knew what I was like. He knew that I would see all the bad things you did, and I would come up with a way to make you suffer."

For the first time, Joe's laid back expression started to falter. He asked me curiously, "What you mean?"

"I like making criminals suffer. Especially the ones like you, who have enough money to put themselves back out on the street in no time. Adam figured out what I was going to do to you, and he went to warn you, but you killed him before he could."

Joe stared at me as I stated, "You shouldn't have killed my partner. You shouldn't have hired me so I could learn everything about you."

I glared darkly at Joe as I finished, "And you really shouldn't have let your son fuck around with J.C."

Joe blinked as his eyes started to water. His throat was already closing and he couldn't cry out for help. I knew the same effects of the poison were registering on his son wherever he was. Joe fell to his knees and I told him calmly, "Everyone knows I'm a cop turned lieutenant. Adam was the only one who knew I am also a serial killer. I destroy the people who have destroyed others, and no one misses them when they're gone. It's a very tedious process, one that requires years of work and careful planning. In your case, it took five years for me to slowly poison you. The levels were high enough in your body the last year that long-term contact with you is toxic, which may have been why your lovely wife Eve lost your baby."

Joe was on the verge of passing out as I went on, "Eve will be fine. I believe she's having an affair with Bautista. That's why he showed you the picture on my phone. He was just as upset as you were and he was hoping I would be killed. It's the same reason he hasn't been very willing to help me out, lately. I'm sure he's already thought of a way to kill me himself, but I've already called Lieutenant Punk and this whole place is about to be under fire by the entire squad. Bautista and anyone else in here will be arrested for a number of crimes I've been piecing together. Not all of them are legitimate, mind you, but like I said, I take my time and plan carefully."

"No," Joe breathed.

I gazed at him empty and sideways as I told him, "Don't worry, all your money will be fine. I'm dividing it out between the dancers. I'm giving a little more to Maria, for taking a bullet from your son's henchmen, and of course, I'm giving John what he's owed. I'm also giving a very large chunk of it to my new partner."

Joe's expression flickered with confusion before going blank again. I half-smiled and told him, "That's right, you didn't know I was assigned a new partner. My solo undercover work was turning a few heads, so I asked for a transfer from out of the country to watch my back. Coincidentally, he ended up rooming with my new boyfriend. You probably know him as Koslov."

His head tilted to one side and Joe collapsed with a loud thud. I slipped the gun back into my jeans and opened Joe's safe to get the duffel bag of money. Just before I walked out the door, I gave Joe's body a little nudge to make sure he was dead.

I knew he would be, but I liked seeing his lifeless body wobble back and forth.

* * *

I remained in hiding, but stuck around to make sure everyone was arrested. I separated the money and had it delivered to each of the dancers in ways that could be traced back to legitimate means: local lottery draws, loans from financial companies that checked out and insurance payouts. I had carefully orchestrated the payouts to be delivered to each dancer at different times to leave no room for suspicion.

I went to Adam's grave before I left the city. I wanted to do right by him, so I took the gun out of my jeans and put it on his grave. Joe didn't think I had noticed that the gun in his desk drawer belonged to Adam. It was a gift that I had given Adam when he was promoted to detective. He never left the house without that gun, and I knew he would want it back.

When I arrived at Kelly's safe house, Koslov came out to shake my hand and explained that he had already filled John in on the details.

"I leave out that you kill dangerous men. He thinks you are cop who shoot Joe in line of duty," Koslov stated.

I nodded and told him, "That's what he should think. Adam was killed for knowing the truth, and I can't stand to see that happen to John."

"In Russia, cops like you are good for business," Koslov said.

"It's not the same in America. The people here feel safer thinking justice can be done without resorting to violence," I said.

Koslov snorted gruffly and stated, "American idiots."

"That's what Green Day says," I replied dryly.

Koslov gave me a sideways glance and I shrugged it off. We walked into the house and John rushed into my arms as soon as he saw me. He looked up at me and said, "I was so worried about you. Don't leave me to be a hero again, okay?"

"I'm not a hero," I shook my head knowingly.

John just stared at me with his innocent blue eyes and replied thickly, "I don't believe you."

**THE END**


End file.
